WHY MUNDUBILE WILL WIN THE PF ELECTIONS

WHY MUNDUBILE WILL WIN THE PF ELECTIONS

I can bet with a great level of confidence that Hon Brian Muntayalwa Mundubile who incidentally, I served as Principal advisor during my tour of duty as Permanent Secretary in the Northern Province will be elected 3rd PF President come 29th November.

My prediction is backed by empirical evidence and my many years of political experience as Councillor, Mayor, Provincial Secretary, DC, DPS and PS for Copperbelt, Northern and Lusaka Province.

I do not need to be a political scientist to deduce that the tide in the current push to elect a new PF President, is rowing in favour of Mundubile. All one needs is to objectively take a look at the people and Constituencies endorsing him

Analysing the political scenario purning out in the PF so far,  Mundubile is undoubtedly the only candidate who seems to have garnered support across almost all the ten provinces including the home of his perceived ‘arch-rival’.

It is no longer a secret, as was seen yesterday by way of endorsement from MPs, Mayor’s, Council Chairpersons and officials from Districts and Constituencies in the Eastern Province that Mundubile can claim to command a considerable support in the ‘political bedroom’ of one of the front runners in this election.

Their voice at today’s scenic Mundubile enforcement rally at the party secretariat was emphatic. They are resolutely behind Mundubile who clearly  has his base of Northern Province solidly behind him as was declared at the same rally by its Chairman Chomba Chipili .

The province remains unshaken and has promised a resounding vote for him. The same can be said about Luapula and Muchinga who recently openly endorsed Mundubile’s candidature.

I am also aware that  most if not all whispers amongst Copperbelt Province delegates are about a possible Mundubile Presidency after 29th November.

Certainly Mundubile’s charm is working it’s magic amongst most of the PF diehards and the impact is simply magical.

Take for instance, he has already secured  the endorsement of 29 of the 39 MPs who will vote at the Conference. ( By the way I know that there are more MPs supporting Mundubile  who for a good reason have not yet officially endorsed him)

As for the Members of Central Committee it would not be far-fetched to indicate that he is commanding 50 per cent or more of the MCC support.

Put simply the Mundubile ‘train’ is almost full and ready for take off. This brings to me and other PF stalwarts a sense of nostalgia like the 2014 elections to succeed the late founding PF leader, Michae Chilufya Sata  who had just passed on.

The 2014 PF elections clearly favoured Edgar Chagwa Lungu ( ECL) who was drawn against political heavyweights like Hon Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba,  Hon Miles Sampa, Hon Bob Sichinga and others including then former first lady Christine Kaseba Sata, the widow of the party’s founder.

For memories sake, the undertones in this year’s PF contest are very much like the pitfalls that befell the PF going into the 2015 Presidential bye – elections that ultimately saw ECL elected Republican President.

You will recall that at that time PF was embroiled in unprecedented political turmoil that had one side of the party with Hon Guy Scott, the Republican and Party Acting  President and another with
Lungu who was Secretary General then.

The divide was so deep that the party ended up holding two General Conferences, one electing Lungu as  President while the other chose Sampa. Thank God the two factions mended fences and were able to approach the 2015 elections as one United party.

This year’s election has pitted Hon Mundubile against notable political heavyweights like the acting PF President Hon Lubinda, Hon Chitalu Chilufya, Hon Kambwili, Hon Sampa, Hon Makebi Zulu, Hon Monde, Hon Kafwaya and little known  Willa Mudolo.

However, the writing on the wall, viewed objectively favours Mundubile especially if you have to analyse the composition of the 300 member electoral college at the November 29th  conference.

Truth be told of all the candidates vying for the PF Presidency (who  by the way, are all equally well qualified to take over leadership) Hon Lubinda, going by his vast experience coupled with his ‘incumbency’ presents an almost obvious choice  for successor, however, the political tide  is resoundingly favouring Mundubile just as it favoured ECL in 2014.

The question however is, how and why this acceptability of Mundubile across the width and breadth of the party and perhaps even more amongst neutrals.

Perhaps the answer lies in Mundubile’s persevering leadership since the PF lost the 2021 elections and the consequent retirement of late 6th Republican President ECL.

As Leader of the opposition, Mundubile was able to hold the party together through parliament and for a greater part was the face of the PF, defending it’s legacy and holding the UPND to account.

His fierce debates in Parliament reminded people of the longstanding leadership of the then fiery Leader of the opposition and now Minister of Home Affairs Jack Mwimbu who over the years held the PF to account and was the face of the UPND for much of its time in opposition.

Perhaps what has endeared Mundubile even more to many PF grassroot sympathisers especially in the Northern Province, is his simplicity and humble demeanor. Hon Mundubile despite his resonably affluent status as a successful business man of many years comes out as  simply a village boy from Mporokoso.

During my time with him in the Northern Province, I couldn’t help but marvel at the ease with which he interacted with villagers in the rural parts of Mporokoso, Mungwi, Kaputa, Mbala and  Nsama Districts each time we ventured to the outskirts of our province.

He would easily trade his otherwise comfortable life in the City of Lusaka to enjoy a typical Zambian meal of nshima with caterpillars kwa  Mukupa Kaoma or kwa Chanda Mukulu.

Hon Mundubile  is simply a man of the people!

I am therefore convinced beyond doubt that Hon Mundubile or BMM8 as he is now affectionately called will  emerge victorious at the PF Conference.

By the way, which ever way you look at it, the PF will choose its leader, the legal issues notwithstanding the same way they were able to overcome the turbulence of 2015.

Elias Kamanga – Former Northern Province Permanent Secretary.