MILES Sampa has assumed the PF presidency after beating six other candidates at a controversially-convened extraordinary
general conference in Lusaka this afternoon.
Sampa’s election fills a presidential two-year presidential vacuum left behind by former president Edgar Lungu but sets stage for heightened infighting pitting the Sampa leadership against the Given Lubinda-led faction that wants the former president back at the helm of the PF.
Party members from the 10 Provinces of the country attended the promptly-organised conference with scores of police officers present to quail any possible fracas.
In the ballot box, it was a landslide victory for Sampa who was facing six other little known candidates.
With 3179 total votes cast, including 5 rejected, the results revealed an overwhelming support for Sampa, who garnered a staggering 2901 votes.
The other candidates received the following votes: Lameck Njobvu (36), Lloyd Moonga (41), Jane Siyanga (70), Robert Mulusa (39), Ali Zulu (76), and Morgan Kano (11). The official announcement came from Maurice Malambo, the returning officer for the elections.
After the victory, Sampa pledged to work with all party members and to follow the party and Country’s constitution in his leadership.
Sampa’s first order ot business as party president was to announce before cheering crowd the appointment of Morgan Ng’ona as the new secretary general.
“I will work for you the people, I have never stolen and I will never steal from people.”
“Whoever hates me, God loves me. I don’t have any enemy. If there’s an enemy, it only takes two minutes to argue, and we reconcile,” Sampa said in Bemba.
“And I don’t keep a grudge.”
Mafinga PF Constituency Member of Parliament, Robert Chabinga threw his support behind Miles Sampa’s presidency, bolstering Sampa’s position.
However, not everyone celebrated Sampa’s victory.
Emmanuel Mwamba, who was recently appointed party information and publicity chairperson by Given Lubinda denounced the General Conference, labeling it as illegal and state-sponsored due to the substantial police presence at the Mulungushi Conference Center.
In a statement to Kalemba, Mwamba insisted Sampa was suspended from the party, should not have organized any party-related activities.
Mwamba further claimed that this was part of a larger plot by United Party for National Development (UPND) to create a parallel PF faction, drawing parallels to a strategy used by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Zimbabwe.
He accused the UPND of working in tandem with State House to undermine the PF and other opposition parties, with an eye on the 2026 elections.
Mwamba’s urged PF members to remain calm and peaceful during this period and vowed to address the chaos surrounding Sampa’s activities.
The PF’s internal dynamics are undoubtedly shifting, Sampa emerging as a prominent figure and a potential force in Zambia’s political landscape. As the nation watches, it remains to be seen how this political drama will unfold and what implications it might have for Zambia’s political future.
Kalemba October 24, 2023
