TONSE ALLIANCE OR POLITICAL AMBUSH? THE CALCULATED PLOT TO SIDELINE GIVEN LUBINDA AND DECEIVE ZAMBIANS
By Michael Zephaniah Phiri Political Activist
Zambians are not blind, and neither are they forgetful. What is unfolding under the banner of the so-called Tonse Alliance is not unity of purpose, but a carefully engineered political ambush whose ultimate goal appears to be the marginalisation of legitimate leadership and the manipulation of public hope.
At the centre of this controversy stands a question that its architects have deliberately avoided: which political party does Hon. Brian Mundubile represent within the Tonse Alliance? In a constitutional democracy, leadership does not float in political air it must be anchored in a political party with a clear mandate. Yet Zambians are being asked to accept a presidential project that has no transparent political ownership.
This raises an even more disturbing question: can a person be elected President of the Republic under the vague identity of “Tonse Alliance” without a clear party structure or constitutional grounding? The insistence on pushing such an arrangement suggests either political recklessness or deliberate deception.
What is more alarming is the obsession by certain alliance members to impose leadership whose credibility to unite the nation is already in doubt. Unity cannot be preached where legitimacy is absent, and democracy cannot thrive where ambition overrides process.
The public is equally troubled by the sudden alliance of individuals who, until recently, were openly hostile to PF President Given Lubinda. Today, these same figures have regrouped not to heal divisions, but seemingly to execute a plan aimed at erasing him from Zambia’s political equation. One must ask: are principles being sacrificed on the altar of personal ambition?
The participation of State Counsel Chifumu Banda and President Danny Pule has further deepened public suspicion. Their willingness to be associated with a process many view as flawed has led to questions about whether seasoned leaders are being reduced to pawns or whether they are knowingly participating in a predetermined scheme. The danger of following a blind guide has never been more relevant.
Evidence of orchestration is visible in the internal positioning of the alliance. Dr. Chifumu Banda’s acceptance of the role of Second Vice President has effectively neutralised Danny Pule as a serious contender, reinforcing the perception that the path has already been cleared for Hon. Brian Mundubile. This is not competition; it is choreography.
Instead of building a credible opposition anchored in transparency and collective leadership, the alliance appears focused on sidelining President Given Lubinda, a leader who, alongside Hon. Chishimba Kambwili and Hon. Miles Sampa, stood firm in resisting UPND pressure when others hesitated. Today, some of those same actors are accused of political double-dealing, eager to rewrite history for convenience.
The attempt to portray President Lubinda as irrelevant is not only dishonest; it is politically arrogant. It underestimates the memory and intelligence of the Zambian people. Politics divorced from integrity inevitably collapses under its own weight.
Zambia deserves principled leadership, not political traps.
Unity built on deception is not unity at all.
NAnd history is clear: those who play games with the people’s trust eventually face political extinction.
Can it not be a bemba tribal fighting a Lozi man? very selfish people we once advised him to work with easterns given lubinda bembas are like that look were they are coming from Katanga regional fighting is the day of the business very lazy tribal but good on stealing.
We have just read an article that Brian Mundubile quit from PF to join Tonse Alliance. So, indeed there is a valid argument in this article. Under what party is Mundubile joining the race for President of Tonse Alliance if not PF which Danny Pule expelled? It is clearly a scheme to sideline Given Lubinda. But then, even assuming Mundubile succeeded to be President of Tonse Alliance, he will need Danny Pule’s party or Chifumu Banda’s FDD as anchor party to contest as Republican President. These small parties are nothing without the support of Given Lubinda’s PF faction which holds sway.