Is FDD the New PF? An Infusion of Toxins into Nawakwi’s Prized Jewel
By the Independent Correspondent
Monday 19 January, 2026
The unfolding political developments around the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) raise an uncomfortable but necessary question: Is FDD slowly becoming the new Patriotic Front (PF)? What was once a party associated with order, clarity, and principle now appears to be absorbing the very confusion and factional toxicity that plagued PF and later spilled into the Tonse Alliance.
There is growing evidence that the Tonse Alliance confusion is being transplanted wholesale into FDD, with the party increasingly viewed as the latest vehicle of convenience for a fractured and directionless alliance. This development is deeply ironic and troubling, particularly for a party that was once the political home and moral legacy of President Edith Nawakwi — May Her Soul Rest In Peace.
At the heart of this confusion is a glaring contradiction: FDD is simultaneously housing Lubinda loyalists and individuals who openly expelled Hon. Given Lubinda and the PF from the Tonse Alliance. These two camps are ideologically and politically irreconcilable, yet they are now expected to coexist under the same roof. This is not unity; it is managed chaos.
The irony deepens when one considers that newly elected Hon. Bright Nundwe, though an FDD Member of Parliament, owes his political allegiance to Hon. Lubinda rather than to FDD President Hon. Chifumu Banda, SC. At the same time, the Kasama mayoral candidate is a product of the Tonse Alliance faction that expelled Lubinda, which explains the reported discomfort—if not outright resistance—to Lubinda’s presence in Kasama. The fear is simple: should the candidate win, Lubinda’s appearance would symbolically entitle him to share in a victory he is politically unwanted to claim.
This tangled web of contradictions is the very definition of confusion, and it is difficult to imagine that President Edith Nawakwi, a woman of discipline, order, and clarity, would ever have entertained such an arrangement. Her leadership was defined by structure and principle, not opportunism. What is currently unfolding within FDD is a stark departure from her values and political culture.
Regrettably, the confusion does not end there. Within the Tonse Alliance itself, President Pule has been declared interim chairperson, yet the alliance is riddled with multiple power centers and ambitious contenders, each quietly positioning themselves as the eventual torchbearer.
Hon. Brian Mundubile besides having a past that is riddled with accusation of selling out and betrayal in facilitating the passing of Bill 7, is reportedly exploring a ticket that would see him pair with the Lundazi Member of Parliament. KBF, on the other hand, is equally hopeful of becoming Tonse’s flag bearer, with eyes set on recruiting Chifumu Banda SC as a running mate. President Pule himself is also hoping that the process tilts in his favor, allowing him to demonstrate his readiness to lead. These parallel maneuvers expose a lack of cohesion and reinforce the perception of an alliance adrift.
Perhaps this chaos explains why SP’s Fred M’membe chose to walk away and align with the other UKA offshoot, the People’s Pact. Whether that formation has meaningful political clout is a matter beyond the scope of this discussion, but the decision itself speaks volumes about the fractures within Tonse.
Similarly, the Citizens First (CF) has charted a different course by working with the Orange Alliance, another formation comprising offshoots of UKA, including the NDC. These developments suggest a political landscape in flux, with alliances forming and dissolving at a rapid pace—often driven more by expediency than principle.
Against this backdrop, the coming weeks and months are likely to take a serious toll on Hon. Chifumu Banda, SC. He will be forced to confront the reality of what he has stepped into and to make a sober assessment of whether this axis of contradiction and political treachery aligns with his values or the founding ethos of FDD.
The next weeks and months will exact a serious toll on Hon. Chifumu Banda SC. He must decipher the chaotic formation he has entered and assess its viability. Based on the rampant contradictions, internal treachery, and the wholesale abandonment of the orderly legacy he inherited, it would not be surprising if he opts out of this “axis of treachery.”
Such a decision would be more than strategic; it would be an act of preservation. It would safeguard his personal image of integrity, honed over decades of legal practice, and, crucially, retain his standing among the FDD’s core loyalists—particularly the rural women who revered Edith Nawakwi. To remain is to watch Nawakwi’s prized jewel become permanently tarnished with the stains of the very political toxins she dedicated her career to fighting. The soul of the FDD, and the peace of its founder’s legacy, may depend on his choice.
