Four groups are emerging in the battle for power in the Patriotic Front as the leadership split in the ruling party deepens with President Michael Sata showing no signs of helping resolve the crisis.
PF major financier Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba is strongly opposed to the appointment of party secretary general Wynter Kabimba as justice minister.
Mwamba, popularly known as GBM, is position himself to take over from President who is indicating may not be medically fit to contest the 2016 elections.
Apart from the financial muscle GBM is commanding in the party which is being strengthened by the huge contracts he is illegally getting from the Zambia Army, he believes that a Bemba should take over from Sata.
GBM is canvassing for support among President Sata’s relatives as he is also the Republican leader’s relative.
Kabimba, however, is also positioning himself to take over from President Sata as he believes he is the most trusted senor member of the party.
The newly appointed justice minister is also trying to posture as a strong corruption fighter to win the hearts of PF chief propagandist Fred M’membe and director of public prosecutions Mutembo Nchito.
M’membe and Nchito are seen as President Sata’s close allies whom GBM and other senior PF officials are opposing but Kabimba has embraced.
Kabimba has since identified foot-soldiers led by Geoffrey Chumbwe to begin mobilising party affiliates to support his candidature which others fear will turn the battle nasty as GBM has also mobilised his constituency of mostly call boys to back his bid.
The third group in the race for PF leadership is led by PF youth chairman and sports minister Chishimba Kambwili. Kambwili is a vocal PF leader who has occasionally come to the defence of President Sata when under public attack.
He believes he has garnered enough popularity to take over the leadership of PF because of his “Man of Action” style of politics.
Kambwili started off as foreign affairs minister before serving at labour and now sports following moments of antagonistic approaches. Kambwili is also courting supposed support from the Copperbelt where he is area member of parliament for Roan constituency in Luanshya.
The sports minister has threatened to quit PF if FDD president Edith Nawakwi is appointed Republican vice-president and NAREP leader Elias Chipimo takes over the Ministry of Energy.
President Sata is planning to poach Nawakwi and Chipimo to strengthen the weakening fortuned of the ruling party.
Professor Nkandu Luo is leading a fourth strand of the PF power battle in what is called a camp of experts that is predominately supported by “educated” members majority of whom also served the first 10 years of the MMD.
Professor Luo, who was recently tranferred from local government to the ministry of chiefs in what was a demotion, is said to be recruiting Given Lubinda on her side.