Maoto Denies Dumping BDP

Ryder Gabathuse | Monday February 26, 2018 17:14

 

There is political hullaballoo in the BDP Francistown South constituency that after losing the primary elections to a political greenhorn, Modiri Lucas in the volatile Francistown South constituency, the pioneering MP for the area, Khumongwana Maoto has decamped to the BDP’s breakaway party – the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) in protest of the way the BDP handled his election protest.

After losing to Lucas, Maoto and former city deputy mayor, Lamodimo Dikomang protested the primary election results citing irregularities. 

Whilst the duo was still waiting for the party system to deal with their protest, President Ian Khama and party secretary general Mpho Balopi presented Lucas as the winner at a party in-house function at a community hall in Matsiloje.

This shocking development is presented by some as a source of frustration for Maoto and his supporters, hence the news that is spreading like veldt fire that Maoto has bolted out of the party.

Maoto, whose epithet is ‘Tailor’, has however, vehemently denied any news of decamping.

“I have protested the recent party primaries and that is within my democratic rights as a member of the BDP in good standing,” Maoto said, indicating that he has done absolutely nothing to suggest he wanted to decamp.

Maoto has been inundated with inquiries from both the party and members of the press about his purported impending departure from the party so much that it has left him worrying that the rumour has spread more than he has thought.

He can only blame his nemeses in the party who are hell-bent on presenting him as a ‘bitter’ politician.

“Look, this frustrating development has a potential of confusing my supporters and other party members so much that they could leave enmasse and follow me when in actual fact I haven’t gone anywhere or at worst it could leave my followers disillusioned,” Maoto declared frustratingly.

Maoto said his late father is a founding member of the BDP and, “I have always followed in his footsteps and nothing will separate me from the love of the BDP, not even the loss of the party primaries”.

The veteran BDP politician was steadfast that whoever is the source of the rumour about his purported departure to the BMD is being malicious; the truth is that he is still an active member of the BDP.