Incarcerated Patriotic Front (PF) Secretary General Raphael Nakacinda has escalated the party’s internal leadership wrangle by taking Matero lawmaker Miles Sampa back to court, challenging the legality of the PF Extra-Ordinary General Conference held in October 2023.
Nakacinda has filed a Notice of Appeal in the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn a Lusaka High Court judgment that upheld the legality of the conference, which placed Sampa, Robert Chabinga and Morgan Ng’ona at the centre of the PF leadership dispute.
In a judgment delivered on March 27, 2026, Lusaka High Court Judge Conceptor Chinyanwa Zulu ruled that the October 24, 2023 conference was valid, arguing that the PF did not have a functioning Central Committee at the time.
However, Nakacinda has challenged this decision, arguing that the trial judge erred in both law and fact. According to court documents, he contends that the PF Central Committee had not ceased to exist, citing provisions in the party’s constitution that provide for continuity of office, internal control mechanisms and the filling of vacancies.
He further argued that the court failed to adequately consider the full body of evidence presented during the trial.
Nakacinda also claims that Sampa himself admitted that the October 24, 2023 meeting did not meet the constitutional requirements of a General Conference. He has questioned whether a valid Extra-Ordinary General Conference was ever held.
In his appeal, Nakacinda states that there was no credible evidence to prove that the meeting was lawfully constituted, pointing to the absence of key documentation such as delegate lists, attendance registers and other supporting records.
He also argued that Sampa had no legal authority to unilaterally convene such a conference.
Additionally, Nakacinda has faulted the judge for relying heavily on Regulation 67 while allegedly ignoring other critical provisions of the PF Constitution. He maintains that the court erred in concluding that the constitution did not address a scenario where both the party president and secretary general resign.
Nakacinda warned that allowing the High Court judgment to stand would result in a miscarriage of justice.
“The learned trial judge erred in law and in fact in finding that the Central Committee of the Patriotic Front had ceased to exist at the material time, thereby disregarding the party constitution relating to continuity of office and internal control mechanisms,” he argued.
He further stated that the court erred in declaring that a properly constituted Extra-Ordinary General Conference was held on October 24, 2023, in the absence of credible supporting evidence.
The appeal is expected to further intensify the ongoing leadership battle within the PF as rival factions continue to contest control of the former ruling party.
