THE BUILD-UP | PF Splintering in Real-time As Lubinda Faces Open Resistance
The Patriotic Front woke up today to a political earthquake. Hours after Given Lubinda executed a late-night purge that stunned even his closest allies, the backlash inside the party has erupted into open defiance. What looked like an administrative reshuffle is, by afternoon, a full-scale revolt.
At an afternoon press briefing in Lusaka, Musonda Mpankata appeared with senior party figures, including Jonas Shakafuswa and Davies Mwila, to deliver the strongest internal blow yet. He declared Lubinda’s dismissals “illegal, null and void,” arguing that no acting president has the power to fire or reshuffle the Central Committee without collective approval.
“He has abandoned the soul of the party,” Mpankata said, warning that the behaviour on display “will not be allowed seven days before the convention.”
What began as a constitutional argument quickly shifted into an existential indictment. Mpankata accused Lubinda of choosing personal survival over party unity and insisted that authority now reverts to him as elected Chairperson.
“He should have handed over the instruments of power,” he said, announcing that he will chair a full Central Committee meeting this afternoon to proceed with convention preparations. In his telling, Lubinda no longer carries organisational legitimacy.
Across PF structures, the reaction is near unanimous. MPs, councillors, provincial leaders and even long-time Lubinda sympathisers describe him as politically isolated. Many say he has “no base left,” with some calling for his outright expulsion.
Tribal rhetoric has crept into internal WhatsApp groups, with a faction accusing him of working with the ruling United Party for National Development to weaken the PF ahead of 2026. Others argue the chaos is a sign that Lubinda “panicked” after days of factional pressure and collapsing support.
The newly appointed Deputy Secretary General for Administration, Celestine Mukandila, spoken with support undertones for Lubinda. But during Mpankata’s briefing, he was openly cautioned not to “legitimise illegal appointments.” The party’s elected structures insist that the reshuffle violates the PF constitution, citing previous court rulings that nullified unilateral decisions made without Central Committee ratification.
They warn that any official who proceeds under Lubinda’s direction “risks personal liability.”
The turbulence is worsened by unresolved violence in Kabwe. A highly placed source wrote to The People’s Brief alleging that part of the funding for the attack on Lubinda came from within the party, specifically from individuals linked to Mwila.
We cannot verify this claim. Police say seven suspects are in custody, and all sides publicly blame Hakainde Hichilema’s party. But internally, PF circles speak of “double games” and shadow financing. The suspicion has fed the narrative that Lubinda’s clampdown may be retaliation, not discipline.
The convention now lies at the centre of this storm. PF has never held a competitive elective congress in its twenty-four year history. As reader Haggai Muzeya reminded us, leaders from Michael Sata to Edgar Lungu rose through voice votes, not ballots. With factional lines hardened, a fair election looks nearly impossible.
Every hour of delay institutionalises suspicion. Every press briefing widens the rift. Every affidavit from Kabwe or Lusaka fuels the belief that this may be the most chaotic transition PF has ever attempted.
By mid-day, the message from the anti-Lubinda bloc was unmistakable. “Plans continue. Delegates list will be released. The convention will be held,” Mpankata said. His declaration effectively positions him as interim authority, with Lubinda’s midnight decrees dismissed as noise.
Party insiders describe this as a “soft takeover,” the moment when elected officials collectively moved to strip an acting president of influence without waiting for formal impeachment.
The PF Lubinda enclave is now a house split along three fronts. The Mundubile camp sees Lubinda’s purge as a direct attack. The Makebi wing believes the old guard has been plotting against their candidate and welcomes the shake-up. The Lubinda faction with illegal powers now being contested. What none of them see, at least for now, is a unifying path that can hold the party together before 2026.
For now, the only certainty is this: PF is entering its most dangerous hour. A convention is seven days away. Legal battles are multiplying. Factions are mobilising. And the centre has given way.
If you want us to monitor factional chats and gather deeper intelligence on tonight’s developments, send material to editor.peoplesbrief@gmail.com.
© The People’s Brief | Political Desk
There will be no PF Convention in 7 days’ time, only Injunctions and Counter Injunctions, mwebekala chalo. I expect one PF Faction to pull off a “classic KBF Sucker Punch”. PF members will be tantameni at the “UPND” Courts, as they allege. You know it, I know it. A House divided….