Lubinda rejects PF Tonse demotion

Lubinda rejects PF Tonse demotion

By Thandizo Banda

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Given Lubinda has dismissed as illegal a meeting purported convened by the Tonse Alliance in Lusaka on Tuesday, which altered the constitution and ushered in new leaders.

Lubinda, the Tonse Alliance chairperson, said the meeting was surrounded by mischief and bad faith as it was deliberately convened at a time when PF members and Tonse Alliance members were attending a duly sanctioned political rally in Chawama.

“This conduct was calculated to exclude key stakeholders and undermines the very foundations of collective leadership within the Alliance,” Lubinda said in a statement.

“It must be re-emphasised and placed firmly on record that the Patriotic Front is the party that sponsored His Excellency Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu into the Tonse Alliance following due consultation and approval by the central committee of the Patriotic Front. In this regard, the Patriotic Front cannot and will not be reduced to a façade or treated as a non-existent entity within an alliance it helped to form and sustain,” he said.

Lubinda said he was shocked that illegal, null and void resolutions were made, including attempts to alter the Tonse Alliance constitution through a virtual meeting, in clear violation of agreed alliance procedures and in direct contravention of a binding resolution which resolved that all matters relating to constitutional amendments would only be addressed at a duly convened physical meeting scheduled for 20th January 2026.

“The Patriotic Front unequivocally condemns the conduct of certain colleagues within the alliance, which demonstrates dishonesty, lack of political decorum and blatant disregard for collective responsibility, consultation, and mutual respect – principles that are indispensable to any credible political alliance,” Lubinda said.

He said any documents, statements or materials circulating on social media purporting to be resolutions of the Tonse Alliance should be ignored with the contempt they deserve.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the status quo within the Tonse Alliance remains unchanged. Consequently, the Tonse Alliance shall soon convene a proper, lawful and duly constituted meeting at a date and time to be announced, at which all outstanding matters shall be addressed strictly in accordance with the alliance constitution and agreed procedures,” he said.

Lubinda directed all PF members and Tonse Alliance members to intensify campaign activities in Chawama to ensure a Tonse Alliance victory in the upcoming by-election scheduled for January 15.