Dolika Crash-Lands in PAC as Andyford Reclaims Presidency

People’s Alliance for Change (PAC) president Andyford Banda was elected yesterday after a planned deal with Dolika Banda fell through at the convention.

Dolika, niece of the late President Rupiah Banda, was set to be unveiled as the party’s presidential candidate.

Speaking on the matter, Banda confirmed that he had been in talks with Dolika for some time, but the partnership failed to materialise.

“Of course, we have been talking for quite some time. We got to a point where we believed, and I believed, that it would be best that we work together. Based on her experience from working across the world and her network, based on our experience in politics and our commitment, we felt that we could explore a partnership and other dynamics. Despite me having stood for President and having done fairly well, it was important to demonstrate to the Zambian people that we are not just interested in titles or becoming president, but we are interested in building a political platform that would actually attract people like Madam Dolika Banda and many others who were supposed to come,” he said on Emmanuel Mwamba’s programme.

“So, the truth is that, yes, we had been talking, and we had agreed. I had also agreed principally to the fact that we would give her a shot for her to run for Presidency, and then we would work together to build a platform. But, of course, you know in politics, this was not like any other normal partnership. She has her values and I have my values, but we have to be practical at the end of the day, [to see] whether certain things can work. If they can’t work, we decide to say you know what, we go separate ways or we don’t concretize what was put on the table. But, yes, we spoke, and I really respect her a lot. I also want to take this opportunity to welcome her to the political space if she is going to officially unveil her presidential candidacy at some point”.

Banda confirmed that the deal was off, adding that any change would require reconvening the convention.

“I think we could affirmatively say that as things stand and, based on the current constitution of the People’s Alliance for Change, we will not work together. If anything changes, we will have to reconvene a convention to actually make different decisions. We will have to reconsult our structures, and if our structures think that it’s the best way to go, we will have to look at it from that aspect,” he said.

“I believe that if anything was to come by, we have to go back to the structures, but as things stand, I don’t think it would be something that would work out. As a party, it would be difficult because we don’t want to confuse our membership. We don’t want to confuse the general public like we are not sure what we want. I believe that things also happen for a reason. Inasmuch as I had made a decision to give her a shot and the leadership had accepted that she should go for it, and the fact that we are here today, I think it will be best that I continue on this trajectory to provide a voice of reason like we have done over the last almost 10 years, building objective politics, giving people hope, something that is lacking in the current political space. So, I think that is the direction that we will take. I think as things stand, I should not be questioning whether I will not stand in the 2026 elections, because Parliament will be dissolved in about eight months’ time. We have to make decisions and we need to tell the structures affirmatively and the Zambian people that Andyford Banda is going to be on the ballot in 2026”.

The collapse of the deal leaves Dolika Banda facing an uncertain political future and with very little time to decide her next move ahead of the 2026 elections.