Nomads set up electoral body

Mighty Wanderers FC board of trustees has set up an electoral college, which includes the team’s legends, to ensure credible, transparent and efficient elections for both the executive and main supporters committees’ elections.

The electoral body, that is being chaired by the board’s vice-chairperson James Chuma, has the club’s former general secretary and defender Henry Chibowa as its secretary while revered former goalkeeper Boniface Maganga is the vice-chairperson.

The other members are Patrick Jumbe [vice-secretary], Kannock Munde, Dean Pinto, Ojukwu Malunga and Christopher Daziel.

The meeting was held at Wanderers Club on Monday evening where it was also announced that elections for the main supporters committee will be held on March 16 while those of the executive committee will take place on March 23.

Said Chuma after the meeting: “For the past two months or so, there has been a lot of bickering over elections and we would want to put all this to rest and ensure free, fair and credible elections, this electoral college that also comprises the club’s legends, has been put in place.”

Chibowa said they would like to see to it that the elections are not soiled with scandals. He said only supporters that will pay K1 500 membership will participate in the polls as delegates to ensure sanity and order. He further explained that the issue of membership drive came as a revenue stream and a way of identifying true Wanderers supporters,” said Chibowa.

The former Nomads GS said it is their expectation that the new committees will put in place regional and district committees with the vision of reaching out to millions of supporters.

“This is not just a dream, it is a vision,” he said.

Maganga said it is sad that the Nomads have terribly lost their reputation as one of the most disciplined teams on the land.

The electoral college secretary said those aspiring for the position of main supporters committee chairperson will have to part with K50 000 nomination fee while those of first and second vice-chairperson will go with a K30 000 fee.

Aspirants for posts of secretary and treasurer will pay K25 000 while those gunning for posts of vice-secretary and vice-treasurer will pay K20 000. Those vying for committee membership will pay K10 000.

As for the executive committee, those aspiring for the hot seat of chairperson will have to pay K150 000, first and second-vice chairpersons posts will attract K100 000. Posts of GS, treasurer and legal adviser have been pegged at K75 000 while those eyeing the posts of vice-GS and vice treasurer will have to part with K50 0000. Aspirants for executive committee membership will be required to pay K40 000.

He said collection of forms for supporters starts today and all payments will be made to the club manager.

Earlier on, outgoing main supporters committee chairperson Yona Malunga welcomed the move to set up the electoral body, but said the trustees would have briefed them about the logistics.

“I am not against the move, but at least they should have had the courtesy to seek our views. Besides that, my plea is that they should also consider incorporating other former officials such as Humphrey Mvula, Brown Mpinganjira and Isaac Nyakamera,” said Malunga.

However, later on Malunga, who was in the company of his adviser Anthony Nysasulu, changed his tune and claimed that the trustees had no mandate to call for elections and instead claimed that supporters’ elections will be held on March 15 at Blantyre Youth Centre.

Outgoing chairperson George Chamangwana—whose camp has been at loggerheads with sympathisers of outgoing GS David Kanyenda—refused to comment on the developments while Kanyenda only said: “We can’t take this with hands lying down.”