PEP, Patriots for Economic Progress President and Tonse Alliance Spokesperson, Sean Tembo, has endorsed Mporokoso Member of Parliament Brian Mundubile as the Tonse Alliance chairman and candidate for the 2026 elections.
Amidst escalated leadership wrangles within the Alliance, Tembo states that, as the disciplinary chairperson, he will not allow anyone to hijack the alliance.
Referring to Given Lubinda, Tembo says he will not permit power-hungry individuals to take over the alliance. 
Tembo attributes the confusion within the Tonse Alliance to the recovery of the Vice Chairperson, Dan Pule, who was indisposed following his return from medical attention in India.
He explains that differences escalated after some individuals were reluctant to relinquish the chairmanship to the Alliance Vice Chairman.
Tembo describes the Mporokoso Member of Parliament as a sober leader who has the potential to unite the opposition.
Last week, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP), stirred up controversy within the Tonse Alliance by questioning the leadership of Given Lubinda, the acting president of the Patriotic Front (PF) faction.
Fube challenged the notion that the PF serves as the backbone of the Tonse Alliance, asserting that this claim lacks merit.
Fube contended that Lubinda should not continue to lead while Dr. Dan Pule, the substantive vice-chairperson, is ready to take over.
But the Patriotic Front said the role of Tonse Alliance Chairmanship is exclusively reserved for the Patriotic Front, as stipulated in its constitutional framework.
Alliance deputy chairman Ephraim Shakafuswa said the chairmanship of the Alliance is not subject to rotation or renegotiation but exclusively reserved for the Patriotic Front.
Shakafuswa said the PF as the lead entity across all structures, organs, and bodies of the Tonse Alliance.
Earlier this month, Editor reported that there was a heated tug-of-war over leadership involving three groups has emerged within the Patriotic Front.
The three factions are fighting for the presidency of the former ruling party. This follows the death of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in a South African hospital on June 5, 2025.
A group calling itself the “True Greens” insists that the next leader should be a northerner and have since identified Kelvin Fube Bwalya.
Another group is supporting the current acting PF faction president, Given Lubinda, to take over the leadership of the PF. This group also wants Lubinda to lead the Tonse Alliance in 2026 general elections.
However, a third group, which is led by two influential parliamentarians, is opposed to Lubinda’s leadership. The third group are of the view that Lubinda cannot be trusted with the party due to his alleged treacherous behaviour.
Inside sources say the former ruling party is currently experiencing some major internal conflicts, particularly regarding the burial of their late former president, Edgar Lungu.
