Africa-Press – Zambia. By Brian Hapunda
What happened yesterday in Parliament where we witnessed 35 PF MPs vote with the government on
Bill No.7 Constitution Amendment should be the last wake up call to “PF” that they are gone just like UNIP and MMD went.
Some of us were brave enough to have advised the powers that be in PF then on the political steps to take soon after we lost power to UPND in August 2021 that we needed to have rebranded the Party early enough with new leadership but the advise was ignored. We advised with love to the 6th Republican President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to free the party and allow it to go for an elective convention to elect new Party leadership, that too was downplayed.
I risked my relationship with the former Head of State by advising him against entertaining the temptation of returning to active politics. On this one unfortunately I burnt my own fingers and I was accused of working against President Lungu’s return to active politics and that I was being sent to destabilise the PF by the new government.
The delay in releasing the PF to go for an elective convention gave an opportunity to Miles Sampa and Robert Chabinga to stage a successful Coup on the PF and handed it over in the hands of the UPND which was the last nail on the political coffin of the PF. I left with love and in peace.
Politics being what it is, it’s a moving vehicle and it will be unfair to blame wholly the MPs for their political insecurity. Most of the PF MPs are worried of their political careers seeing the lack of direction in the party. Parliament will be dissolved in May 2026 and most PF MPs are in limbo as to which Party ticket they will stand on considering that “PF” will not be on the ballot paper as the PF that is recognized by law is that one that is led by Robert Chabinga who took his PF party into a Political Alliance with the ruling UPND.
It must be noted that most PF MPs in principle have already moved out of PF for their political survival. Some will officially join the UPND at the dissolution of Parliament in May 2026, some will join the Socialist Party and other opposition political parties. “PF” need to move with speed and stop thinking that they have 55 MPs in Parliament. The 55 MPs exists on paper. Out of the 55 MPs, 35 of them are already in bed with the UPND.
PF need to realize too that Hichilema and the UPND government will not hand back PF to them! They need to take cognisant of the fact that even if they bought off a dormant opposition political party for example the FDD or indeed any opposition political party as a special purpose vehicle to field a PF presidential candidate ahead of the 2026 general elections, the System through Registrar of Societies will not allow them to change the names of office bearers of that party and let alone present themselves to the ECZ on nomination day.
This is the harsh mingalato reality that PF members are failing to accept. It is truism that “PF” has the numbers and strong presence of structures across the country. It is truism “PF” has no control of the PF MPs and the “PF” need to stop living in denial, they need to stop the arrogance of thinking that they have MPs and come to a negotiating take bullishly when most of their MPs have moved on.
What the “PF” should do is move on to identify a new stable political home which will accommodate them otherwise come 13th August, 2026 that would be the end of the PF as it will be erased from the face of Parliament just like what happened to UNIP in 1996 when they boycotted the 1996 general elections and MMD in 2016 losing the remaining parliamentary seats they had due to political instability in the MMD.
For More News And Analysis About Zambia Follow Africa-Press
