Lubinda Faces Open Defiance From PF MPs

Patriotic Front lawmakers and senior party figures have pushed back strongly against claims that they have been expelled from the party, demanding formal, lawful expulsion letters and questioning what they describe as shifting standards within the PF leadership over participation in the Tonse Alliance.

The confrontation follows a resolution by the Given Lubinda-led PF Central Committee, which announced that Brian Mundubile and a group of senior members had, through their conduct, effectively relinquished their party membership by participating in what the party termed an “illegal Tonse Alliance conference.” The decision has escalated internal divisions within the former ruling party into an open struggle over authority, legitimacy and the future of the opposition.

Among those listed as expelled are Brian Mundubile, Stephen Kampyongo, Mutotwe Kafwaya, Lukas Simumba, Francis Kapyanga, Japhen Mwakalombe, Davis Chisopa, Melisiana Chibwe, Emmanuel Tembo and Lazarous Chungu, alongside several party officials and organisers. The resolution marked one of the most sweeping disciplinary actions taken by the party since losing power.

However, several of the affected MPs have rejected the expulsions, insisting that no lawful procedure has been followed and that announcements made through the media do not constitute official party action.

Nakonde Member of Parliament Lukas Simumba, one of those named in the resolution, has publicly challenged the Lubinda-led grouping to serve him with a formal expulsion letter signed by officials who legally hold office within the Patriotic Front. In a written statement, Simumba said he had not received any official communication from the party and remained a PF member until such communication was delivered through recognised internal channels.

“My attention has been drawn to media reports suggesting my expulsion from the Patriotic Front,” Simumba said. “I wish to state that I have not received any official communication from the party regarding this matter. As a dedicated member and Provincial Youth Treasurer for Muchinga Province, I understand that such significant decisions follow a clear internal procedure and are not conducted through media statements or social media.”

Simumba said until he is formally served with official correspondence on PF letterhead, bearing clear signatories and proof of authority, he continues to regard himself as a loyal PF member. He signed the statement as Nakonde Constituency MP, Patriotic Front member and Muchinga Province Youth Treasurer.

Brian Mundubile has also questioned the basis of the expulsions, arguing that his involvement in Tonse Alliance structures is neither new nor incompatible with PF membership. Mundubile has maintained that he has always been a member of the Tonse Council and that his position is consistent with historical practice within the alliance.

He has pointed out that the late President Edgar Lungu remained PF president while simultaneously serving as chairperson of the Tonse Alliance, a position Mundubile says was never questioned. Mundubile argues that nothing has changed in principle, insisting that a PF member can hold a leadership role within Tonse without ceasing to be a member of the Patriotic Front.

The Lubinda-led camp has taken a sharply different view. PF National Chairperson Jean Kapata dismissed the legitimacy of any structure operating under the banner of the “ECL/PF Movement,” stating that it does not exist within the party’s constitutional framework.

“There is only one PF which President Lungu left,” Kapata said. “The so-called ECL/PF Movement does not exist.” She urged those invoking Edgar Lungu’s name to respect him, even in death, and to stop what she described as masquerading under non-existent party formations.

Kapata reaffirmed that Edgar Lungu left Given Lubinda as acting president of the Patriotic Front and chairperson of the Tonse Alliance, and that this leadership arrangement remains in force until altered by a properly constituted PF General Conference. In her framing, PF remains the anchor party of Tonse, and any parallel authority structures are illegitimate.

PF officials say the expulsions were not symbolic but decisive, arguing that participation in rival Tonse structures amounts to political defection rather than internal dissent. The message from the Lubinda-led leadership has been that loyalty to the party must be unambiguous.

The expulsions come as the Patriotic Front prepares for an elective general conference scheduled for February, with party officials insisting that preparations are progressing despite court injunctions and competing political manoeuvres. Elections Chairperson Dr Frank N’gambi has said PF structures remain focused on convening the conference, even as senior figures drift toward the Mundubile camp.

The unfolding dispute reflects a party under intense pressure, struggling to contain factionalism while asserting control over its identity and legacy. What had previously been managed through internal negotiation has now spilled fully into the public arena, with legality, symbolism and authority all contested.

PF’s leadership appears to be betting that discipline and clear lines of authority will stabilise the party and reassert control. The Mundubile camp, by contrast, is betting that parliamentary numbers, momentum and the Tonse Alliance vehicle will outweigh formal party declarations.

The opposition landscape continues to fracture, with the Patriotic Front’s internal conflict becoming a central feature of the run-up to the 2026 general elections. Whether the expulsions restore order or accelerate fragmentation remains an open question, but the battle lines have now been firmly drawn.