By EditorZambia
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) presidential hopeful and political upstart Makebi Zulu has stirred fresh controversy after publicly urging Brian Mundubile to return to what he called the “real and original” PF.
The remark by the young turk to a senior PF member has exposed not only deep fissures within the former ruling party but also the swelling egos driving its internal battles. 
Appearing on the propaganda Emmanuel Mwamba Verified podcast, Zulu declared that the authentic PF remained with figures such as Chishimba Kambwili, Given Lubinda and Miles Sampa, and suggested that Mundubile had wandered off course by aligning himself with a breakaway formation under the faction Tonse Alliance banner.
“He has acted prodigal. Like the prodigal son. He is the one to return home so that we can unite the PF family,” Makebi Zulu said.
The question many within the PF are quietly asking, however, is this: between Makebi Zulu and Mundubile, who is senior in the party?
Mundubile served as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and has held significant positions within the PF structures over the years.
Makebi Zulu, by contrast, is widely viewed as a relative latecomer to frontline in the PF politics, having risen to prominence largely as legal counsel and defender of former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
His political profile expanded dramatically in the aftermath of Lungu’s death, when he became one of the most vocal figures invoking the former Head of State’s legacy.
Critics argue that Makebi Zulu’s confidence in summoning Mundubile back to the fold reveals an inflated sense of self-importance. To them, it is emblematic of a new crop of politicians who mistake visibility for authority.
Riding on the emotional wave following Lungu’s passing, Makebi Zulu has projected himself as a unifier and natural successor, yet the PF’s old guard remain divided on whether he commands the moral or structural seniority to make such calls.
But Mundubile himself is hardly beyond reproach. Within PF circles and beyond, he is often described as equally headstrong, a politician who believes leadership is his natural inheritance.
Observers note a broader cultural problem within sections of the PF leadership, where some North and Eastern Province heavyweights alike have long assumed that the presidency of both party and country is their entitlement.
The result is a spectacle that increasingly resembles a political circus. While Makebi Zulu calls for unity and reconciliation, and Mundubile charts his own course, the PF continues to fracture into competing factions, each claiming authenticity.
The deeper issue haunting the PF is not simply factionalism but indiscipline that has festered both in power and in opposition.
Years of internal tolerance for parallel power centres, personality cults, and loose adherence to party structures have produced today’s fragmentation.
Leaders insult one another publicly, supporters trade accusations online, and alliances are formed and dissolved with dizzying speed.
Against this backdrop, some analysts argue that the wisest course for pragmatic PF leaders may be to cut their losses. They point to recent endorsements of President Hichilema by several eastern province lawmakers as evidence that political survival may lie outside the PF.
In their view, aligning with the ruling UPND offers stability that the PF no longer guarantees.
Whether that assessment is fair or harsh, the reality is that the PF faces an existential crisis. Once a formidable electoral machine, it now appears trapped in nostalgia, personality clashes, and succession wars.
Makebi Zulu’s invitation to Mundubile, rather than signalling strength, has underscored the depth of the divide.
For a party preparing for a crucial general election, the optics are troubling. Public spats over who represents the “real” PF do little to inspire confidence among voters seeking coherent alternatives.
If anything, they reinforce the perception that the PF is preoccupied with internal supremacy battles rather than national governance.
As things stand, the former ruling party resembles an organisation struggling to define itself after the loss of its central figure.
No amount of rhetorical unity calls or symbolic gestures can mask the structural decay. Without discipline, humility, and genuine reconciliation, declarations of authenticity ring hollow.
In politics, resurrection is never impossible. But for now, the PF’s trajectory suggests a party in decline, divided by ambition and haunted by its own unresolved contradictions.
