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Zambia's Patriotic Front (PF) has suspended President Guy Scott as party leader amid a power struggle ahead of elections in January. Mr Scott is not eligible to contest the elections but a party spokesman accused him of "following his own agenda". He remains a PF member, and national president until the 20 January poll. He took over after President Michael Sata died last month but cannot become substantive president because his parents were born abroad. PF spokesman Malozo Sichone told the BBC that Mr Scott's suspension comes after party officials had spent weeks trying to meet the president to discuss the election and selection process. "Since the president's death, it has become clear that Dr Scott has been following his own agenda," said Mr Sichone. "He has been hiring and firing people for no apparent reason and without consulting the [party's] central committee," he said. The party is divided over how its presidential candidate at the next election should be selected, with some calling for the 53-member central committee to choose. Mr Scott and other MPs want a vote by a general conference, made up of thousands of delegates. Mr Scott lost favour with many members of the party after he sacked presidential hopeful, Edgar Lungu from his post as defence minister without any explanation. Mr Lungu was re-hired a day later following protests from his supporters in the capital, Lusaka. Correspondents say the reinstatement has done little to win back their trust, as some within the party suspect he may have his own candidate in mind for the presidential nomination. Mr Lungu had been named acting president when Mr Sata sought medical treatment in London and is seen as a frontrunner in the elections. Mr Sata's son Mulenga Sata, the mayor of Lusaka, and his widow Christine Kaseba have also said they will seek the PF's nomination, reports the Reuters news agency. Mr Scott, whose parents were British, is the first white head of state in mainland Africa for 20 years.