The landscape of Zambia's opposition politics is currently defined by a significant impasse over unity, primarily stemming from differing philosophies between Citizens First (CF), led by Kalaba, and the Patriotic Front (PF). Kalaba vehemently rejects claims that his party is resistant to unity, asserting that CF has consistently been at the forefront of outreach efforts, with Kalaba himself engaging numerous opposition leaders including Hon. Given Lubinda, Dr. Fred M’membe, Hon. Makebi Zulu, Hon. Brian Mundubile, Hon. Stephen Kampyongo, Hon. Jean Kapata, and Hon. Nkandu Luo, all in a sincere bid to foster opposition unity.

Kalaba's core critique revolves around what he describes as the PF's recurring pattern: an expectation to act as the sole anchor of any alliance, to provide the presidential candidate, control the secretariat, and effectively dictate terms. He frames this approach as reducing other parties to mere escorts, whose role is to validate PF’s political comeback rather than participate as equals. Kalaba warned that such arrangements weaken smaller or newer parties, unequivocally stating that Citizens First was not formed to escort anyone to power. He linked this 'dominance mentality' to the collapse of previous alliances, notably the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA), which he claims failed due to attempts by outside actors associated with the former ruling party to impose leadership structures and terms of reference.

For Kalaba, genuine unity must be ideologically aligned, mutually strengthening, and built on equality, shared values, and mutual respect. He quoted Amos 3:3, "Can two people walk together unless they agree?" to underscore his point that unity without shared values and agreement is not true unity. Citizens First, established three years ago, stands on firm values of integrity, accountability, and orderly governance. It aims to be a credible third force, an alternative to both the PF and the UPND, with a clear upward trajectory and growing national footprint, demonstrating its viability and competitiveness. Kalaba insists CF is not an 'academic party' or 'spoilers' but was formed to actively participate in elections and will not be 'obliterated' to strengthen another party at its own expense.

He further criticized the current state of the PF, recalling its decisive rejection by Zambians in 2021 due to its 'bullish, violent, corrupt and irrational management of state affairs.' Kalaba highlighted the 'betrayal of public trust' by PF Members of Parliament who facilitated the passage of Bill 7, despite pleas from responsible Church mother bodies and Civil Society Organisations. He asserts that today’s PF is a 'shell dominated by self-serving actors' and that unity cannot be built on treachery, bullying, and corrupt conduct. Therefore, for Citizens First, agreement must precede unity, with the PF first needing to accept its internal issues and the necessity of leaders with a proven legacy of integrity, which he believes is absent within the current PF.

However, this principled stance from Kalaba is complicated by the emerging electoral reality, particularly from recent by-elections in Chawama and Kasama. In both contests, Citizens First finished a distant third. Significantly, the Patriotic Front did not contest directly but partnered with the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) under the Tonse Alliance banner. In Chawama, the FDD candidate won the parliamentary seat, while in Kasama, FDD secured second place in the mayoral contest, outperforming Citizens First in both instances. These results suggest that PF’s strength is not merely institutional or historical but transferable; voters identifying with PF appear willing to consolidate behind allied candidates, reinforcing PF’s confidence and negotiating posture regarding its electoral influence.

This electoral evidence underpins PF’s belief that it remains the most effective opposition vehicle on the ground, and its insistence on anchoring alliances is therefore driven by demonstrated vote-mobilizing capacity rather than just entitlement. This exposes a deeper contradiction within the opposition: Kalaba advocates for unity built on equality and ideological coherence, while the PF, emboldened by alliance-backed victories and near-victories, operates from the assumption that leadership should follow proven vote-mobilizing capacity. While one side (Citizens First) resists absorption, the other (Patriotic Front) resists dilution of control. Until this tension between principle and pragmatism is confronted honestly, opposition unity in Zambia will remain stalled, divided not for a lack of dialogue, but for a fundamental disagreement on whether ideals or votes should ultimately lead the coalition.