By Brian Matambo – Lusaka, Zambia

Acting Patriotic Front President Hon. Given Lubinda on Sunday, 9 November 2025, officially filed his expression of interest for the position of party president at the PF Secretariat in Lusaka.

Lubinda delivered a brief but deeply reflective address inside the party boardroom, where he was joined by members of the Central Committee, provincial and district officials, media representatives, and his wife. The filing-in ceremony was followed by a rousing address to a massive crowd of supporters gathered outside the Secretariat.

In his boardroom remarks, Lubinda emphasised that the moment reflected the Patriotic Front’s enduring commitment to democracy, transparency, and internal unity.

“This is an event that illustrates what the PF is all about,” he said. “It shows that the Patriotic Front is indeed a transparent and democratic party.”

He commended his fellow aspirants who had already filed their nominations and encouraged others to do the same. “We cannot have a party devoid of leaders,” he said. “Where there is competition, there is quality. Unless there is competition, there cannot be quality.”

Lubinda reaffirmed the party’s readiness to hold its general conference before the end of November, saying the PF was guided by the principle that power belongs to its members.

“In the Patriotic Front, we believe in the power of the people,” he said. “Representatives of more than one million members of our party will come together to decide who should lead them. The choice of the members is the choice of the people, and the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

He called on the media to promote decency and maturity in political discourse. “When you hear our supporters using vulgar or detrimental language, shun such behaviour,” he urged. “Report the positive things we say about one another.”

The acting PF President pledged to campaign honourably, vowing not to attack fellow candidates. “I will go out and appeal for support, but without injuring any of my brothers who have also registered interest,” he said.

He further dedicated his bid to God, describing it as an act of service and sacrifice. “What I have done today is an expression of my will to serve, and not to be served,” Lubinda said. “Those who relish attacking me may not reach my heart. Those who enjoy abusing me may not reach my soul.”

Lubinda also invited party members to hold him accountable to the values he professed. “When you hear me depart from this pledge, do not hesitate to call me out,” he said. “Be like Christ to me. Be the Holy Spirit to me.”

He urged members to respect one another regardless of their preferred candidates, saying internal competition must not breed division. “Even those who support other candidates don’t cease to be members of this party,” he said. “They deserve the same respect we all deserve.”

Concluding his remarks, Lubinda called on members to use the run-up to the convention to strengthen friendship and solidarity within the PF. “Let this journey be one that renews our unity so that the Zambian people may know that there is only one movement ready to reclaim its place in government — the Patriotic Front,” he said.

Lubinda’s message inside the boardroom set a tone of calm and maturity before he later addressed the cheering crowd outside, signalling the beginning of a spirited but disciplined campaign season within the Patriotic Front.