For the first time Acting Tonse Alliance Chairperson Given Lubinda has met Apostle Prof. Dan Pule who is the Vice Chairperson of the Tonse Alliance.
Apostle Pule a long time politician from the time of Frederick Chiluba where he served as Deputy Minister was the founding Chairperson of Tonse Alliance before he relinquished the position to former president Edgar Lungu.
Apostle Pule, Pastor Peter Chanda, Wright Musoma and Sean Tembo under the instructions of Lungu formed the Tonse Alliance after the Patriotic Front pulled out of United Kwacha Alliance (UKA). Their political parties apart from Tembo”s have been working with the PF in the previous elections.
After Apostle Pule relinquished the Chairperson position to Lungu who was also unveiled as Tonse Alliance presidential candidate for 2026, he became Vice Chairperson.
When Lungu travelled out Apostle Pule was automatically supposed to Act as Chairperson of the Alliance. Apostle Pule was out and Lubinda who was PF Vice president chaired the Tonse meetings and this continued for sometime.
To consolidate Lubinda’s role in both Patriotic Front and Tonse Alliance, Lungu appointed him as Acting president of both Patriotic Front and Tonse Alliance.
Zambian Eye is aware that some members of the Tonse Alliance Council of Presidents that include Apostle Pule himself have not accepted Lubinda. They have been pushing that Apostle Pule takes over and that an election will be held to elect the presidential candidate who will also be the Tonse Alliance Chairman.
Some Tonse Alliance members and some senior members of PF have told Zambian Eye that unfortunate though Lubinda was Acting for both organizations but he is disliked mainly on tribal lines and strong character that he cannot easily toast around like they did with Lungu. Among the members the gossip is that wakaso (he is stingy).
Zambian Eye knows that despite Lubinda finds himself in this position like Lungu was in 2015 where President Michael Sata had left him to act members supported his candidature this will not be an easy thing with Lubinda.
On this picture at a funeral of Apostle Pule’s son-law this was the first time the duo were meeting. There is a battle not only to take the power from UPND and Hakainde Hichilema but from the Zambezi region where Lubinda is seen to belong.
Alot will unveil after Lungu’s buried unless Lungu’s widow prevails and a written wish on the leadership is brought out, the leadership succession will be nasty. This could then pave way for Hakainde Hichilema win in 2026.
Tonse Alliance is a broken undemocratic vessel right from the start. PF is even more broken. Its only chance is to re-invent itself without washed out politicians like Nakachinda, Mundubile, Sampa or Lubinda.