Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi had announced his intention to retire after serving in the position for more than forty-four years.

[5] In October 2017, the IFP Extended National Council started the process of selecting a new leader to succeed Buthelezi in the 2019 general elective conference.

[6][7][8] Mangosuthu Buthelezi officially confirmed on 20 January 2019 that he would not seek re-election to another term as party president of the IFP.

The party managed to regain the title of the official opposition in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature after it lost it to the Democratic Alliance in 2014.

The IFP confirmed that Buthelezi would remain parliamentary leader of the party in the National Assembly and that the elective conferences would proceed.