More rumbles as PF splits. Sampa-led fraction sacks legal counsel, asks Speaker to remove Mundubile

In a turn of events, Miles Sampa’s Patriotic Front (PF) faction has ignored the court order granted to the Given Lubinda faction by terminating the contract of Makebi Zulu as party Legal Counsel with immediate effect.

In a letter dated October 25, 2023, party Secretary General, Morgan Ng’ona, said Zulu had taken actions in the High Court on behalf of the party without instructions from his office.

“We note that you have taken actions in the High Court on behalf of the Patriotic Front (PF) without instructions from my office,” Ng’ona said.

In the letter which had been copied to the Law Association of Zambia ( LAZ ), Ngona demanded that Zulu surrender all documents and files related to the party within 48 hours.

Ng’ona had also dropped Mporokoso Member of Parliament, Brian Mundubile, as leader of the opposition in Parliament and replaced him with Mafinga lawmaker Robert Chabinga.

He announced the change in a letter addressed to Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti, on Thursday and stated that the change was with immediate effect.

“Consequently, I wish to notify Parliament that our new designated leader of the opposition in the house is the MP for Maginga Constituency Hon. Robert Chabinga,” reads part of the letter.

Ng’ona told the Speaker there had been a number of portifolio changes in the PF following the controversially held general conference recently.

On Wednesday, the High Court Judge, Situmbeko Chocho, granted the Given Lubinda-led faction an interim ex-parte order stopping Miles Sampa from acting as PF president or member of the party.

This followed a lawsuit filed by party General Secretary, Raphael Nakacinda, last Friday in the Lusaka High Court, seeking an injunction restraining Sampa from masquerading as a party member.

Zambia Monitor reported that Sampa, who is a Matero Member of Parliament, organised a convention at which he was elected the new PF party president.

“It is hereby ordered that the defendant be and is hereby restrained from holding himself out as a member of the Patriotic Front Party, a party functionary of the Patriotic Front Party or a leader of the Patriotic Front Party,” read the order.

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