15/10/2025
LUBINDA ABANDONS RADIO INTERVIEW AS PF CADRES GATHER OUTSIDE STATION
Acting Patriotic Front President Given Lubinda abruptly cancelled a scheduled radio interview on Phoenix FM on Wednesday after his security team spotted a group of people dressed in PF regalia gathered outside the radio station premises.
According to Phoenix FM, which announced the development on air, Lubinda's team informed the station that they could not identify the individuals in the crowd and therefore deemed it unsafe for the acting president to proceed with the interview.
The incident is the latest manifestation of the deepening security concerns within Zambia's fractured opposition, as rival factions within both the PF and the broader Tonse Alliance engage in increasingly confrontational tactics.
Context: A Party and Alliance in Crisis
The security scare comes amid a bitter power struggle that has split the Patriotic Front and paralysed the Tonse Alliance. The opposition coalition has reached a full-scale rupture, with two rival camps each claiming to be the legitimate leadership—one led by Sean Tembo and Chris Zumani Zimba, the other by Raphael Nakacinda, Given Lubinda, and Danny P**e.
Violence has become a recurring feature of the internal opposition battles. In late September, suspected Patriotic Front cadres stormed a press briefing led by Sean Tembo, forcing police to intervene after journalists were blocked and threatened. The briefing had to be abruptly moved from Palm Valley Resort to Tembo's private residence after the initial venue was overrun.
The Leadership Vacuum
The Tonse Alliance was formed in November 2024 with former president Edgar Lungu chosen as both Alliance Chairperson and presidential candidate for the 2026 general election. However, the alliance lost its unifying leader when Lungu passed away on June 5, 2025.
When Lungu died in June, the alliance lost its only figure who commanded universal authority among its members, creating a vacuum that has erupted into open war. Given Lubinda, who had been appointed as the Tonse Alliance acting chairperson during Lungu's absence, continued in that role after Lungu's death.
Parallel Power Structures
The situation has become so fractured that Zambia effectively now has two Tonse Alliances, two councils of leaders, and no clear candidate for 2026.
On October 6, the PF Central Committee, meeting under Lubinda's chairmanship, declared the purported "Tonse List" of expanded leadership positions illegal and resolved that only the PF Secretary General or the duly recognised Tonse Alliance Chairperson may convene alliance meetings involving PF members.
Meanwhile, the Tembo-Zimba faction has proceeded with its own plans, announcing a national congress scheduled for November 29 to elect a chairperson and presidential candidate. The Nakacinda-Lubinda camp has refused to recognise this process, branding it a "parallel circus."
Casualties of the Split
The New Congress Party has announced its withdrawal from the Tonse Alliance, with party leader Peter Chanda accusing alliance partners of greed, ego, and sidelining meaningful consultation in decision-making.
Political commentator Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya has described the Tonse Alliance as being in "freefall," with the coalition once seen as a potent opposition force now mired in a full-blown leadership crisis marked by open defiance, conflicting declarations, and an alarming absence of discipline.
Growing Concerns Over Political Violence
Wednesday's security incident raises fresh concerns about the use of intimidation and violence in Zambian opposition politics. The fact that Lubinda's own security team could not identify whether the crowd outside Phoenix FM consisted of supporters or opponents underscores the depth of the factional divisions within the party.
Political observers note that until the bishops' mediation succeeds or one side concedes, Zambia's opposition remains at war with itself, making it increasingly difficult for voters to determine who speaks for whom.
With less than a year until the 2026 general elections, the opposition's ongoing chaos continues to raise questions about its ability to present a credible and united challenge to President Hakainde Hichilema's ruling UPND government.
Phoenix FM has not yet announced whether the interview with Lubinda will be rescheduled.
Acting Patriotic Front President Given Lubinda abruptly cancelled a scheduled radio interview on Phoenix FM on Wednesday after his security team spotted a group of people dressed in PF regalia gathered outside the radio station premises. According to Phoenix FM, which announced the development on a
