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A legal battle that exposed deep divisions within the Patriotic Front has ended with the High Court affirming Miles Sampa’s rise to the party presidency, ruling that the controversial October 24, 2023 conference was lawful.
Delivering judgment, High Court Judge Conceptor Zulu held that the challengers—PF MPs Brian Mundubile, Mutotwe Kafwaya, Stephen Kampyongo, and others—failed to prove that the conference breached the party constitution, effectively validating the outcome of the disputed gathering, which led to the appointment of Robert Chabinga as Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Morgan Ng’ona as Secretary General of the party.
This is despite Sampa having filed a consent with the MPs admitting that the convention was illegal. The consent, however, was not passed, as Ng’ona and Chabinga contended that the conference was legitimate.
The court acknowledged gaps within the Patriotic Front constitution, particularly on how the party should operate in the absence of its Central Committee, but found that this did not render the conference unlawful.
“As much as the Party Constitution is the supreme law… it seems not to have provided adequately as to what should happen in some of the eventualities,” the judge observed.
The case was initiated by Mporokoso MP Brian Mundubile, together with Stephen Kampyongo, Raphael Nakacinda, and others, who argued that the conference was irregular, unconstitutional, and should be nullified.
But the court found their case lacking, describing the evidence presented as insufficient and ultimately dismissing the action.
The court’s decision now settles the legal question surrounding the conference and cements Mr Sampa’s leadership, at least from a judicial standpoint.
Five days ago, Zambia Monitor reported that following the PF election aftermath, two senior contenders rejected the outcome of the convention that declared Makebi Zulu as leader.
Sampa, and South Africa–based PF hopeful, Willah Mudolo, both rubbished the gathering, insisting it did not qualify as a legitimate party convention.
In a post on his social media page, Sampa mocked the event, describing it as a “friendly social game.”
“What they may have had is a friendly social game,” he said, adding: “What is factual is that beyond court hurdles, the PF will hold a legally binding convention with voting done on a PF-logo-branded ballot papers.”
Mudolo, issuing a statement on Sunday from South Africa, reinforced the same position.
“It absolutely clear that there was no PF convention, and therefore any claim to the contrary is null and void.”
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