Muvi TV and Fresh View Homes proprietor Stephen Nyirenda is poised to take over the presidency of the National Restoration Party (NAREP) today.

Until September this year, NEREP was headed by prominent lawyer Elias Chipimo who resigned from the party’s top position and quit politics to go into the private sector – leaving his deputy Charles Maboshe in charge as acting president.

A source told News Diggers ahead of the convention today that Nyirenda, a Lusaka-based businessman who also owns Fresh View Cinemas among other companies had joined the party and was expected to emerge president.

“Earlier after the president resigned, there was an interest from Chembe PF member of parliament Sebastian Kopulande. The party leadership had approached him and he was willing to vacate his seat to lead NAREP, but along the way, the discussion fell off. We can’t speak in detail about that, but someone else emerged as a favourite. You may know that Mr Nyirenda joined the party, and he is poised to take up the leadership at the convention,”said the source.

When contacted, NAREP secretary general Ezra Ngulube confirmed that two people applied to stand as president of the party at the party convention today, but said neither of them was a PF member.

“A PF member can only stand on the PF ticket that is the only logical order. A NAREP member is the only person qualified, according to the constitution, to contest on our ticket. So, if somebody is a PF member, how possible is it that they should stand on a NAREP ticket. So, I don’t think those stories are true and they are very misplaced! We are going for a convention, and according to our constitution, we supposed to have a convention within 90 days from the resignation of our president,” said Ngulube.

“So, we have the acting president of the party, Charles Maboshe, who is one of the people who are interested to stand. I have received two nominations that is from the current president, who is acting that is Mr Charles Maboshe, and there is also Maybin Kabwe who is NAREP coordinator for Northern Province, and it is still open and it is only open for NAREP members. So, anyone who belongs to other political parties, it is not possible for them to stand on the ticket.”