⬆️ COMMENTARY | PF Faces the Fire as Tasila Rumours Stir Succession Battle
The Patriotic Front is entering dangerous terrain. Lungu’s burial limbo has triggered a new wave of internal conflict, just as the clock ticks toward the 2026 elections. Under the party mourning lies a power struggle. At its centre is a name that sparks loyalty, and stirs resentment in equal measure, Tasila Lungu.
Given Lubinda, the acting faction president, has urged presidential hopefuls to put their ambitions on hold. His message was delivered on KBN TV with moral authority: “My boss is still above earth.” The intention was clear i.e. unity in grief, discipline in transition. But there is a problem. Family lawyer Makebi Zulu has repeatedly said Lungu’s burial could take years, possibly a decade.
The former president’s body remains in a South African mortuary while the court battle over his repatriation drags on without a set date. If PF postpones its leadership contest until after burial, it risks entering the 2026 elections without a candidate or a plan.
Lubinda’s call, though grounded in respect, has become a political trap.
Behind the scenes, pressure is building. A faction within the party is pushing for Tasila to carry her father’s mantle into the presidential race. They argue that only she can preserve Lungu’s legacy and rally the grassroots. For them, the Lungu name remains the party’s strongest brand. But that view is not shared across the board. Rivals who had quietly begun preparing their bids feel sidelined. They see the move as a shortcut around internal democracy, a throwback to dynastic politics the PF once stood against.
“This is not a monarchy,” said one senior PF figure, off the record. The statement reflects more than frustration. It captures the anxiety of a party that fears it is repeating the very patterns it once vowed to break.
There is also a deeper concern. While internal camps argue over names and allegiances, the party has yet to answer the fundamental question: what does PF offer Zambians today? Beyond the symbolism of a surname, what is the agenda? What are the measurable promises on energy security, agricultural reform, debt management, or youth employment?
The silence on substance is deafening.
Tasila’s potential candidacy has drawn attention, but it also exposes a vacuum. PF has not presented a new platform since its defeat in 2021. Instead, it has leaned on court battles, nostalgic rhetoric, and media outbursts. That might excite the base, but it leaves swing voters cold. It also hands UPND a key advantage. Despite the government’s struggles with electricity and service delivery, PF has failed to build a credible alternative that speaks to undecided voters.
Miles Sampa’s decision to admit that his convention was illegal opens the door to a national gathering. That meeting could be a turning point. If it produces a credible programme, followed by a fair leadership process, PF can walk into 2026 with a message that speaks to today’s realities. If not, it will walk in as a party of factions, nostalgia, and entitlement; hoping that public anger at UPND will be enough.
But hope is not a strategy.
PF does not have the luxury of confusion. Every day lost to infighting is a day closer to defeat. Every attempt to crown a successor without a platform only weakens the eventual candidate. If Tasila Lungu enters the race, she will need more than her last name. She will need answers. If she stays silent, and the party remains rudderless, PF may soon learn the cost of mistaking legacy for leadership.
© The People’s Brief | Political Commentary
What are her credentials other than the sir dirty surname?
Imagine, what has that girl done for this country other than being a recipient of ” gifts” from her father…
Ba PF, Thats a behavior of balunshi pamafi. They won’t stop circling around ECLs family until its sucked dry of the millions. Even if it means using ECLs pets as a presidential candidate , they will do so.
Let her stand so that she be disqualified because of her pending corrupt cases before the courts of law.when filing she will be in cells.
If Zambia were to end up with Lady coffin, it would be the end of Zambia as a country, if she can demarcate a part of the country to herself just as a daughter of the excellency, what can she do if she is excellency herself.??????????, we have not even talked about the likely outcome of ongoing cases yet so what country is Zambia going to be.
Boy, note that those views are for PF.. It DOES NOT represent ZAMBIA as a country
It was a missed opportunity for PF to apologise or present a credible candidate; instead, they kept insulting Zambians and brought ECL back into politics. The opposition faces the challenge of proving they are a viable alternative to UPND, especially on issues like load shedding, youth unemployment, and high fuel and food prices. Kalaba mainly makes unrealistic promises even a preschooler cannot be convinced
I sympathize with PF. This party has problems and seems many PF members are not very normal. Surely instead of becoming serious they are busy playing games. They don’t care or rather realize that the remaining one year is too short. They wasted about four years doing completely nothing other than quarrelling for leadership. PF would be comfortable by now if they elected a leader immediately ecl announced his retirement. But they went back persuading the Man to return to power simply because he had plenty stolen money to support campaigns and other logistics. In my opinion Edgar wouldn’t have won any election even when he had lived a longer life. A sitting president being walloped like that by an opposition to who was even barred from campaigns. ! He stood completely no chance to reclaim power but in PF minds he was the preferred candidate. Now they think because Tasila has money from her father ‘ s ” reserves” she has become a favourite! To PF all what counts is money, maybe because they have no ideas. All this is working in favor of HH and UPND. 2026 HH and UPND will technically sail through unopposed.
I wish she stands so that she can be taught a good lesson through the ballot box just like her father was.
PF will come to their senses rather too late. Using emotions to strategise isn’t helpful. MMD toyed with the idea of Mrs. Maureen Mwanawasa taking the reins after the demise of Levy and so did PF itself after the passing on of Mr. Sata, when there were suggestions that Mrs. Sata should takeover PF. I guess it’s part of the mourning process.
By the time PF wake up from their “mourning” the boat will have sailed out of the harbour and then they will shout “rigging!”. Too late.
Maybe it is just as well. We need UPND and HH to continue to build on the gains the nation has made. It would be disastrous to bring back PF and their “tantameni” policies.
If she loves the country she wants to serve she wouldn’t go to the US to deliver her child. her father was rejected in 2021