The battle for the BNF's golden key

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Thursday March 13, 2014 17:35

 

“Our aim is for UDC to use a symbol which we want as a party.

“The symbol that we want is the one which incorporates all party symbols and we are working hard and talking to Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on the matter,” Boko told a press conference yesterday.

He said the IEC did not have a problem with their issue as long as it is finalised before courts.

The UDC is made up of BNF, Botswana People’s Party (BPP) and Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). The party has indicated its intentions to incorporate the BNF symbol, in an effort to make the UDC symbol representative of all its members.

Attorney Gabriel Kanjabanga successfully represented former BNF activists Moses Kajane and Moses Toister, who applied for the interdiction in opposition of the move.

The appeal will be registered before the Court of Appeal in the next days.

Boko assured members that they want the judgment of lower court to be set aside.  Boko confirmed that the party did  not attend court session, but insisted that that should not have had a bearing on the judgment which favoured the appellants (Gabriel Kanjabanga), as it was supposed to be based on opposition papers that they had filed.

He said there were preliminary points that the judge should have considered to inform his judgment. 

UDC president said their members should know that an election is not about a party symbol but about what they can offer to them.

He revealed that though they are not taking the issue lightly, they are ensuring that it does not affect their campaign.  He cautioned their rivals against celebrating the BNF symbol fracas.

He told members who attended the press briefing that he is getting support from BNF members across the country who are willing to campaign hard for them to win more constituencies.

Boko also promised the BNF members that he will revert to them if the appeal does not succeed.