PF WRANGLES BEGAN AFTER SATA’S D£ATH – CHABINGA CLAIMS ROLE IN BUILDING ECL BRAND
Patriotic Front (PF) faction president Robert Chabinga says the party’s internal wrangles can be traced back to the period following the d£ath of former President Michael Sata in 2014.
Mr Chabinga said Sata’s passing created a leadership vacuum that led to the emergence of multiple factions within the party, including those aligned to Given Lubinda, Miles Sampa, and a group supported by former First Lady Christine Kaseba.
“After President Sata died, that is when confusion started in PF. The party had many camps competing for control,” Mr Chabinga said.
Speaking during an interview on the Kenny T One on One podcast, Mr Chabinga further claimed that former President Edgar Lungu was not initially part of the succession contest, but was later brought forward through a coordinated effort by some party members.
“Edgar Lungu was not even in the picture at that time. We came up with what we called ‘Project Edgar Lungu’,” he said.
Mr Chabinga added that at the time, Mr Lungu was not widely known among senior members of the PF.
“No prominent politicians in PF even knew Edgar Lungu. Many of those claiming today were not there for him,” he said.
He further claimed that he played a significant role in building Mr Lungu’s political image and support base.
“I built the ECL brand. Most of the people speaking today did nothing for him,” Mr Chabinga said.
Mr Chabinga also noted that the party’s current succession disputes are not new, but have their roots in the period immediately following President Sata’s death.
“The wrangles you are seeing today started in 2015. This is not something new,” he said.
He added that despite resistance from some factions within the party, efforts were made to ensure Mr Lungu emerged as PF president.
“There were cartels against him, but we worked hard to make sure he became president of the party,” he said.
[ Power FM Zambia]