BRIEFING | PF Factions Trade Dust as Chabinga Camp Cites Registrar Records
The Patriotic Front’s internal power struggle has take another twist after the faction aligned to Leader of the Opposition and Mafinga Member of Parliament Robert Chabinga released a Registrar of Societies printout listing the party’s registered office bearers.
The document, dated 16 March 2026, identifies Morgan Ng’ona as Secretary General and places the party structure under the presidency of Robert Chabinga, a position his camp says establishes their administrative authority over the former ruling party.
Chabinga argues that the registry record settles the ongoing dispute over who legally controls the PF’s organisational structures.
“There is no party official who can claim to have authority over the party than the Secretary General Mr Morgan Ng’ona under the presidency of Hon Robert Chabinga. The document speaks for itself.”
The statement is a direct response to claims by rival PF factions led by Miles Sampa and Given Lubinda, both of whom have recently declared that the party is reorganising itself politically ahead of the next general election.
Lubinda’s bloc has moved to create new political alignments while Sampa has insisted that the PF must quickly regroup through a general convention, promising to convene one within days.
But the Chabinga camp maintains that any leadership claims outside the Registrar of Societies records carry no legal weight in determining control of the party.
The release of the document therefore introduces another layer to the PF’s increasingly complex leadership contest, where legal registration, parliamentary recognition and political mobilisation are now competing sources of legitimacy.
With Parliament expected to dissolve in May ahead of the 2026 elections, the fight over who speaks for the PF is rapidly becoming one of the most consequential battles in Zambia’s opposition politics.
© The People’s Brief | Goran Handya
