Kamanga charges PF leadership on lingering crisis, warns political office holders may decamp enmass to protect themselves

Long-time Patriotic Front (PF) member and former Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary, Elias Kamanga, has added his voice to growing calls for the former ruling party to urgently chart the way forward on selecting a flagbearer as the 2026 general election approaches.

“The PF is running out of time—and so are its MPs, Mayors, and Councillors. With Parliament and all Councils set to dissolve in May next year, the chaos and indecision within PF should alarm every elected official who still believes in the party and its future,” Kamanga charged.

He said Zambia had, for months, watched the PF drift without direction, trapped in endless internal fights while ordinary supporters waited in confusion and frustration.

“Yet more than 50 MPs and hundreds of Councillors—people entrusted with real mandates—remain silent as the party edges closer to political self-destruction,” he said in a statement on Monday.

Kamanga described the silence as dangerous and painful for those who invested heavily in the party’s foundation.

“We simply cannot afford to remain mute,” he said, adding: “PF leaders must stop pretending everything will magically fix itself.”

He said tough decisions must be made now, urging the party to confront its circumstances honestly, accept the damage already caused, and take bold steps to secure its survival.

“And if the leadership cannot rise to the moment, then PF’s elected representatives must seriously consider moving to a new political home—one that protects their structures, their legitimacy, and the will of their supporters,” he warned.

“Because let’s be clear: continued procrastination in choosing a leader and defining a path forward has exposed nothing but deep selfishness among many of those at the top. The longer this selfishness goes unchallenged, the more the party risks collapsing altogether.”

He said PF MPs, Mayors, and Councillors cannot afford to wait any longer and must urgently demand a meeting with the party’s Central Committee to secure answers—“real, actionable answers”—about selecting a party flagbearer and safeguarding their political future.

“Your supporters expect leadership. They expect courage. They expect you to stand up now before the opportunity to do so disappears,” Kamanga said.

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