Lubinda tells NRPUP to show how Tembo became Leader of the Opposition

Given Lubinda, the former Patriotic Front vice president, has called on the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) to publicly account for how its president, Ezra Tembo, was made Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Speaking to Phoenix News, Lubinda said the matter must be settled under Article 74(2) of the Constitution and Standing Order 45 of the National Assembly's 2024 Standing Orders. He asked which party organ approved the appointment, whether it was the Central Committee or the parliamentary caucus, and who formally submitted Tembo's name to the Speaker. Lubinda said the Speaker cannot appoint a Leader of the Opposition on her own and can only act on formal communication from the party through its recognised channels. He warned that unresolved leadership fights would weaken the opposition's ability to hold government to account. ## Two names, one seat The dispute has been building inside NRPUP for more than a month. On Tuesday 20 October, Speaker Nelly Mutti told the House she had received communication from NRPUP Secretary General Nonde Mubanga confirming Tembo, the Dag Hammarskjöld MP, as Leader of the Opposition. The same letter named Milenge MP Geystave Chonde as party whip and Nyimba North MP Paul Lungu as deputy whip. Kampyongo tells a different story. On 9 October he confirmed that NRPUP MPs had elected him to the post, after Lima MP Kelvin Kaunda posted congratulations on Facebook. Mubanga had already dismissed that, saying the party's MPs resolved at a meeting on 3 September that Tembo should take the role and that his name had been sent to the National Assembly. After the Speaker's announcement, Kampyongo said he was at a loss over how the decision changed, though he added it did not shock him given what is happening inside the party. ## What the law says Article 74(2) of the Constitution says the opposition party with the largest number of seats elects the Leader of the Opposition from among opposition MPs. Standing