🇿🇲 DATELINE | Opposition in Flux: 48 Hours That Rewired the BattlefieldThe last 48 hours have produced one of the most destabilising sequences in Zambia’s opposition politics since the Patriotic Front’s 2021 defeat. Court rulings, rival congresses, surprise endorsements, and open accusations have collided, leaving voters, party structures, and even sitting MPs struggling to keep up. What follows is a clear reconstruction of how events unfolded and why they matter.The chain reaction began yesterday with a High Court decision freezing the Patriotic Front’s planned General Conference.
The ruling restrained the Given Lubinda-led faction from convening, adopting candidates, or holding meetings in the party’s name pending a full trial. The impact was immediate. With the election clock already ticking, the ruling paralysed the party’s internal succession plans.
No conference meant no clear authority to issue adoption papers, no confirmed leadership, and no legal clarity on who speaks for the party. For many PF MPs, this created a vacuum. The vacuum did not last long.Within hours of the court freeze, a rival centre of power emerged.
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A faction of the Tonse Alliance, led by Dan Pule, convened a General Conference and elected Mporokoso MP Brian Mundubile as Alliance President. The move was seismic.For Mundubile’s supporters, it offered a tactical escape from PF’s legal paralysis. For the Lubinda bloc, it was an act of political desertion carried out under the Tonse banner.
PF leadership dismissed the gathering as an illegal breakaway and accused Mundubile of using an alliance structure to bypass party processes. PF National Chairperson Jean Kapata was blunt. It is emotional and strategic.
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