BRIEFING | PF Convention Showdown Enters Frivolous Territory
The Patriotic Front is now running two parallel scripts, two centres of authority, and two futures. Given Lubinda sharpened that divide in Livingstone when he dismissed Robert Chabinga’s court-backed directive and declared that “the PF does not reside in the Registrar of Societies, but in the hearts and commitment of its members.”
It was a deliberate political punch, delivered with the confidence of a man who believes he still commands the party’s emotional core.
Lubinda framed the convention as an act of survival. He told supporters that the PF belongs to those who “live its daily struggles” and that no individual, including Chabinga, can stand in the way of the party’s renewal. The message was designed to project continuity and momentum after a bruising week of factional blows.
Chabinga’s camp, however, has the only court order in the room. He declared on Thursday that “there shall be no convention this year,” insisting that the last valid one was in 2023 and the next is due in 2027. He is leaning heavily on the ruling that recognised him in PF filings, and his faction argues that any convention outside this legal framework is null.
The police, Registrar of Societies, and the courts now sit at the centre of a rapidly escalating internal conflict.
Lubinda’s rebuttal signals that his faction is ready to test how far that legal position can stretch when confronted with political mobilisation on the ground. He is betting that delegates, district structures, and long-standing party loyalty outweigh procedural arguments.
His tone was assertive, almost declaratory, mirroring the energy of candidates filing nominations at the Secretariat despite the injunction.
The weeks ahead will depend on where state institutions tilt. If the injunction is enforced, the Lubinda-led convention becomes vulnerable. If delegates gather anyway, the party risks more chaos.
For now, one truth stands out. PF’s battle is no longer about who becomes president. It is about who is allowed to hold an election at all.
© The People’s Brief | Goran Handya