Mystery surrounds the origins of Duma Boko’s mandate to petition the outcome of the General Elections.This comes after information surfaced indicating that as yet neither the Central Committee nor the Executive Committee of the Botswana National Front have met.They are yet to meet to review the party’s performance in the General Elections held in October.
Previously scheduled meetings were aborted because the leader did not turn up.In another twist, it has also emerged that the National Executive Committee of UDC has itself not met to review the elections outcome.This is already causing consternation among some UDC members.
In the meantime, Boko has gone ahead to engage a forensic investigator who has already released his findings.Paul O’Sullivan has said that elections were rigged and that Boko should demand a rerun.UDC was an electoral alliance between the BNF, Botswana Congress Party and the Botswana Peoples Party.Out of the more than thirty constituencies that were allocated BNF under the UDC stable only four were won. BCP was allocated twenty. It returned with eleven Members of parliament. And their leader, Dumelang Saleshando has since been made the Leader of Opposition in parliament.This week Boko was in South Africa among other things to drum up support for the petitions he and some of his loyalists have since lodged with the High Court.Behind the scenes a storm is brewing about the ongoing lack of consultation by Boko.
A senior BNF member said by now it would make a lot of sense to BNF members if their leadership was speaking with one voice.
“Instead what we seeing is all about Boko. Nobody else matters. And the BNF Central Committee is either dead or simply non-existent,” he said.Officially BCP has accepted the results, but said those who petition the High Court should be given space to do so as it is within the ambit of their right.The only known BCP member to lodge a petition is Dr Mannana Pheko who was a candidate at Gaborone Central.
But behind the scenes BCP has been steadfast to point out to members that the party name should not be used in any of the petitions as such decisions are solely personal and private.
“This thing cannot go on forever. It has to stop at some point. He [Boko] still believes that UDC is his personal project. And that BNF can be killed or resuscitated as his wishes,” said another BNF leader who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not empowered to talk to the media.
