Hold Your Ambitions, Lubinda Tells PF Members

PF Acting President Given Lubinda has called on party members to hold back their ambitions until former president Edgar Lungu is buried, as he simultaneously laid out his own position and future in the Patriotic Front.

Speaking on KBN TV, Lubinda said it would be “totally immoral” to discuss leadership while Lungu’s body remains unburied.

“My boss is still above earth. His remains are still in the morgue. And for me to start talking about my ambitions will be totally immoral… For now, I would like to appeal to everybody to hold their ambitions, time will come,” he said.

Despite that appeal, Lubinda quickly shifted to the 2022 PF convention, explaining why he did not declare interest then.

“At that stage, I did not express interest… I feared people would have said, he’s vice president, and now he wants to vie for this position… Circumstances have since changed, there’s no one who is president on leave,” he explained.

 The contradiction was clear. While urging silence from others, Lubinda openly signalled that leadership is on his mind.

He also described the handling of Lungu’s situation as “a source of national embarrassment” and argued that Zambia “should have dignified” him.  

Such remarks echo the PF’s strategy of portraying the government and President Hichilema as disrespectful, even as the state continues to publicly honour Lungu in its commitment to securing a dignified burial.

Lubinda also confirmed that the PF is preparing for a convention and insisted that leadership of the Tonse alliance must come from within the party. Yet he admitted the process cannot move forward until the courts give clearance, leaving the PF without direction as its acting leader urges restraint while hinting at his own ambitions.