PF DRAMA REACHES BREAKING POINT AS LUBINDA, MUNDUBILE AND MAKEBI CAMPS COLLIDE

 BUILD UP | PF DRAMA REACHES BREAKING POINT AS LUBINDA, MUNDUBILE AND MAKEBI CAMPS COLLIDE

The Patriotic Front has entered one of the most volatile forty eight hour stretches since losing power in 2021. What began as internal friction after the assault on Acting President Given Lubinda in Kabwe has spiralled into a full blown confrontation involving court injunctions, accusations about citizenship, open defiance from senior figures, and a late night intervention by party elders calling for a halt to the November 29 convention.

The first rupture came on Friday night when Lubinda suspended the Central Committee meeting without explanation. The announcement was made by the PF Media Director, a worker at the Secretariat, and not by a principal office bearer. The decision triggered an immediate backlash from Acting Secretary General Brenda Nyirenda and Acting Chairperson Musonda Mpankanta.

Internal messages seen by this publication show MCC members accusing Lubinda of acting in bad faith and possibly reacting to the injunction obtained by former Mafinga MP Robert Chabinga in the Kabwe High Court.

Lubinda then took a step that detonated the crisis. He removed Nyirenda, Mpankanta, former secretary general Davies Mwila, former national chairperson Christopher Shakafuswa and several others from the Central Committee. He insisted the changes fell within his powers.

Critics argued that elected officials cannot be dismissed by an acting president. The removals fractured the Lubinda bloc into three visible camps: the Mundubile group, the Makebi group and Lubinda loyalists.

Mwila responded with the harshest attack yet on Lubinda’s leadership. He questioned Lubinda’s legitimacy and tribal roots. He said, “We do not know whether Lubinda’s father is Zambian or what. We do not know where he comes from. Where is he going to get the votes from?”

He accused the acting president of attempting to impose himself on a democratic party.

Nyirenda added her own blow, saying Lubinda “might have taken one or two whiskey shots” before dismissing senior officials. She said the move was “illegal, null and void.”

The escalation forced senior PF figures to step in. Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba advised immediate de escalation. He warned that the party risked creating a “third faction” if the suspensions were sustained.

Mwamba said, “We must not lose our strength. We have remained focused on the larger agenda to reclaim power from the UPND.” He urged Lubinda to reinstate those removed. He also called for the convention to be postponed to December or January to allow cooler heads to prevail.

This call was rejected by political analyst Dr Lawrence Mwelwa, who accused Mwamba of encouraging paralysis. He said, “Postponing the General Conference is the most dangerous mistake PF can make. A party that delays choosing a leader becomes a party that has already chosen defeat. Time is the battlefield, not a detail.”

He warned that further delays would sink the party into permanent uncertainty.

By Sunday evening, the pressure was too high for the candidates to ignore. In a late night emergency meeting chaired by party elders including former vice president Inonge Wina and Ambassador Paul Lumbi, all nine aspirants agreed to propose a postponement of the convention.

Makebi Zulu was authorised to issue the statement. He said, “The party is challenged to rise to the call for unity. The meeting resolved to propose to the Central Committee to postpone the holding of the proposed convention to a later date.”

The statement confirmed that Chishimba Kambwili, Mutotwe Kafwaya, Chitalu Chilufya, Miles Sampa, Chanda Katotobwe, Greyford Monde, Brian Mundubile, Makebi Zulu and Given Lubinda attended the meeting and accepted the proposal.

The proposal now sits in the hands of the Central Committee, but the party enters a critical week fractured, bruised and deeply mistrustful. The Lubinda camp insists the removals must stand. Others argue the suspensions are invalid without the full committee.

The Mundubile base is furious over attacks on its loyalists such as Mwila. The Makebi camp is positioning itself as the unifier. None of these groups want to appear weak ahead of the leadership vote.

The political stakes are high. PF is expected to play a decisive role in the 2026 elections. Its ability to present a credible leadership structure is central to its survival. Internal confusion has already exposed major vulnerabilities. The assault on Lubinda in Kabwe, the alleged attack on Ndola mayor Jones Kalyati in Masaiti, and the police response have added a violent edge to a party already under pressure from State institutions and its own unresolved battles.

The next Central Committee meeting will determine whether the convention goes ahead or collapses under legal, political and emotional strain.

For now, PF remains a divided house trying to avoid a complete implosion while its rivals watch closely. The build up to November 29 has now shifted into a struggle for legitimacy, survival and control inside Zambia’s largest opposition movement.

This is Build-Up bringing insight and unbiased clarity.

© The People’s Brief | Gathering —Goran Handya; Reporting —Ollus R. Ndomu; Editing —Francine Lilu