The Editor Zambia
The Patriotic Front’s long-running internal crisis has entered an even more surreal phase, with Miles Sampa now declaring that he has “handed over” the party to himself following the death of former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
It is a statement that perfectly captures the confusion, contradiction, and political theatre that have come to define the former ruling party. 
Sampa says he had previously agreed to surrender control of the PF to Lungu after the two reconciled. However, with Lungu now gone, he argues that there is no one else to take over and that the leadership therefore remains in his own hands.
While the remark may sound absurd on its face, it reflects the legal and political maze that has engulfed the PF since its dramatic fall from power in 2021.
Sampa insists that he remains the lawful president of the party following the October 24, 2023 convention, which he says was validated by a March 27, 2026 court ruling.
According to his argument, the PF presidency was never vacant, and any intended transfer of authority to Lungu was never formally completed through the necessary legal procedures.
Acting on that claim, Sampa has now dissolved the party’s central committee, dismissed provincial chairpersons, and moved to rebuild the PF structure under his direct control.
He has accused some members of sabotaging the party from within and says efforts at reconciliation were met with hostility and insults.
Yet Sampa’s latest manoeuvre does not resolve the PF crisis. If anything, it deepens it.
The PF remains bitterly divided between rival camps, each claiming legal legitimacy and political authority.
Robert Chabinga, who leads a separate faction and serves as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, has repeatedly insisted that he is the legitimate acting president of the party and that Sampa has no authority to restructure PF leadership.
Chabinga has maintained that the court rulings surrounding the PF convention do not automatically place Sampa in charge of the party. He argues that there are still unresolved matters before the courts and that no lawful change has been made to the party’s official records.
Indeed, the PF’s internal conflict has become so severe that different factions now claim to possess the legitimate party constitution, the lawful office bearers, and the authority to speak on behalf of the movement. In some cases, rival leaders have even threatened disciplinary action against one another while issuing competing instructions to members.
For ordinary PF supporters, the situation is becoming increasingly embarrassing. A party that once governed Zambia with an iron grip is now consumed by endless leadership wrangles, court cases, expulsions, and competing press briefings.
The real danger for the PF is that while its leaders continue fighting over titles and legal technicalities, the party risks becoming politically irrelevant. Zambians facing economic hardship, unemployment, and the rising cost of living are unlikely to be inspired by opposition politicians who appear more interested in controlling party offices than presenting a serious alternative government.
With the 2026 general election drawing closer, the PF’s inability to settle its leadership dispute may prove fatal to its electoral prospects. A divided opposition rarely wins power. A divided opposition that cannot even agree on who its leader is stands even less chance.
Sampa may say he has handed the PF to himself. The deeper question, however, is whether there will still be much of a party left to inherit by the time the next election arrives.
