Breaking News | Tuesday, April 7, 2026

The Patriotic Front leadership battle took a dramatic turn today after Secretary General Raphael Nakacinda challenged Miles Sampa’s purported High Court victory, only for Miles Sampa to later stage what can only be described as a coup attempt without teeth.

In a press briefing held this afternoon, Miles Sampa moved to announce his own structure and named questionable figures such as Charity Katongo and Joseph Mudolo to the Central Committee, despite the leadership matter remaining hotly contested. He also purported to remove Hon. Raphael Nakacinda and replace him with PF Media Director Edwin Lifwekelo.

But before that move could gather any momentum, a leaked document believed to be authentic surfaced, showing what Miles Sampa had really wanted from Makebi Zulu all along.

The document, a draft political memorandum authored around the PF leadership transition, reveals that Miles Sampa wanted Makebi Zulu to fully sponsor the political project while handing him enormous power inside it. According to the document, Miles demanded 45 percent of the Central Committee, 45 percent influence over office bearers, retention as Secretary General, 45 percent of names on the proportional representation list, two nominated MPs, 20 percent of ministerial appointments, and most significantly, to become either Makebi Zulu’s running mate or Minister of Finance.

That changes everything. What Miles Sampa was pursuing was not unity. It was capture. The leaked document shows a clear scheme in which Makebi Zulu would provide the money, the legitimacy, the campaign energy, and the presidential candidacy, while Miles Sampa positioned himself and his loyalists deep inside the party, the campaign, and the future government.

In simple terms, the plan appears to have been this: use Makebi Zulu to win the presidency, use Makebi Zulu’s resources to finance the road to power, then position himself close enough to the centre of power to control it from within and eventually take it over.

That interpretation is not speculative fantasy. It is strongly supported by the demands contained in the leaked memorandum itself.

A man who was prepared to be Makebi Zulu’s running mate cannot honestly pretend he fundamentally rejected Makebi’s leadership. A man who demanded such a large share of appointments and party structures was not fighting for order. He was negotiating to dominate the very presidency he now pretends to oppose.

This is why today’s press briefing matters. It was not an isolated act of political excitement. It now appears to have been the public continuation of a broader strategy to seize control of the PF machinery before lawful and political reality could catch up.

Nakacinda’s challenge this morning showed that Miles Sampa’s claimed victory was already under serious dispute. The leaked document this afternoon has now exposed what appears to have been the real objective behind his manoeuvres.

Miles Sampa did not just want accommodation under Makebi Zulu. He wanted a heavily negotiated share of the presidency before the election had even taken place.

That is the scandal. And that is why his attempted coup has failed before it could even gather heat. The document has exposed the design. The press briefing has exposed the appetite. Together, they reveal a failed attempt to capture the Makebi Zulu presidency from within.