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Citizens First (CF) running mate, Moses Mawere and Roan aspiring candidate, Chishimba Kambwili, have left the party to join colleagues in the Tonse Alliance, a move President party Harry Kalaba has acknowledged with respect.
The departure marks a major shift for Citizens First (CF), which is preparing for the 2026 general elections under Kalaba’s leadership with Mawere as his running mate.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Friday, Kalaba said CF was founded on democracy and freedom of association, and therefore had no choice but to accept the decision of the two senior officials.
The CF President noted that while the party would have preferred to continue the journey together, it remained focused on its core objectives.
“While we would have preferred to continue this journey together under the Citizens First banner, we respect their decision and wish them well in their future political endeavours. We thank them for their contributions to our movement and release them with our blessings and best wishes,” he stated.
Kalaba reaffirmed that CF’s mission remains unchanged despite the high-profile exits.
He said the party was still committed to building a united, prosperous, and corruption-free Zambia.
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“As Citizens First, our mission remains unchanged. We remain firmly committed to building a united, prosperous, and corruption free Zambia founded on integrity, accountability, transparency, non-violence, and servant leadership,” Kalaba said.
The CF leader thanked the Orange Alliance leadership, members, supporters and volunteers for their dedication, and assured Zambians that the party would continue offering principled leadership and practical solutions to national challenges.
The decision by Mawere comes barely a month after Andyford Mayele Banda also stepped down as vice-presidential running mate for the Organized People’s Party, leaving people speculating on the state of the opposition in Zambia ahead of August 13 elections.
Zambia Monitor had reported that Banda accused Party president, Dr. Brian Mushimba, of multiple breaches of their agreement that left the partnership unworkable.
He said the decision was not made lightly, framing the exit as a matter of principle, pointing to a pattern of broken commitments that eroded the foundation of the alliance.
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