Mwelwa challenges PF to fast-track succession, warns against ‘paralysis’ after Lungu’s death

Dr. Lawrence Mwelwa has differed with Patriotic Front (PF) Secretary-General, Raphael Nakacinda’s position on the need to hold a convention only after the burial of sixth President Edgar Lungu.

In a statement issued on Friday, Dr. Mwelwa said Nakacinda’s call for the PF to put presidential ambitions on hold until after President Lungu’s funeral was clothed in dignity, wrapped in tradition, and deeply moving but that the party must move on.

“We all respect the Lungu family and the memory of our fallen President. Yet we must face the question that haunts every soldier in battle: when a general falls, does the army stop marching?” he asked.

Mwelwa insisted: “War teaches us that time is cruel; in a single second, one can survive a bomb or a bullet.”

He noted that former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent brush with death during a campaign rally reminded everyone that destiny can turn in the blink of an eye.

“Politics, like war, does not wait for grief to finish its work,” Dr. Mwelwa said. “A second can save a life — or lose a country.”

With less than eight months before Parliament dissolves, Dr. Mwelwa argued that the opposition cannot afford “paralysis.”

He maintained that President Lungu’s funeral was a sacred moment for national mourning, but it must not become the grave of political momentum.

“Lungu himself fought for a Zambia where power could be challenged and freedom defended. Do we honor him by stopping the fight, or by pressing forward so that his death strengthens the cause?” he wondered.

“African honor demands that we stand with the bereaved family, that we kneel at the graveside and sing songs of remembrance. But it also demands that we lift the spear of the fallen general and continue the march,” he added.

He further warned that delay had historically cost the PF dearly.

“If PF had acted with speed in the past, Matero lawmaker Miles Sampa would never have staged a ‘coup’ within the party. Delay is what gave room for opportunism, delay is what fractured the house. Shall we now repeat the same mistake and hope for a different outcome?” he asked.

Mwelwa also questioned what would happen if burial arrangements stretched for months.

“Shall we keep silent while the ruling party fortifies its position, redraws the political battlefield, and weakens the opposition further?” he asked, warning that such inaction would amount to a “slow-motion betrayal” of Lungu’s legacy.

He stressed that true respect was not passive but redemptive, saying the best way to honor Lungu was by ensuring that his memory inspired a comeback, not a collapse.

“The PF must choose its leader now. It must rebrand now. It must position itself for alliances now,” he urged, adding that while Zambians grieve with the Lungu family, the living millions still depend on a strong opposition to balance power.

“Tears must not blind us to the battlefield. Silence must not gift time to those who abuse power. Respect must not become the trap that delays rescue,” Mwelwa cautioned.

He stated: “If we lose 2026 because we lost time, history will not be kind.”

“History will ask whether the mourning was noble or naïve. It will ask whether we built a monument to Lungu’s memory or a tombstone for Zambia’s democracy,” Mwelwa said.

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