BDP upholds Molao's win

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Tuesday August 3, 2010 00:00

 

The four losers in the primary protested the results and demanded a recount but the party has decided that there was no foul play.

The BDP Electoral Board looked at the protest last week and found no unfair play in the contest. The board passed its recommendations to the central committee to make a final ruling on the matter.

BDP executive secretary Comma Serema told Mmegi yesterday that the central committee decided at its meeting 'to go with the recommendations of the board. That Molao should be the party candidate for the primaries'.

The central committee met yesterday and dealt with the controversial discovery of marked ballot papers by BDP Political Education and Elections Committee (PEEC) member and former Francistown deputy mayor Lamodimo Dikomang at the counting centre for the primary a day after the by-election. Molao won the primary but there was a protest soon after by led by the runner-up Onkabetse Daniel.

Meanwhile, Molao said he has always felt confident that the Tonota North people made a clear verdict - that they want him to represent the party. 'So despite the protest, I knew the verdict would not be changed. That is why the central committee, after investigations were carried out, affirmed the verdict of Tonota North constituency,' he said.

He said that the dust has now settled and he is ready to pick up the pieces and carry everybody forward so that the party retains the constituency at the by-elections.

'At the primaries it was about me, but now it is about the party. I'm just an agent of the party. So during the by-elections people should rally behind the party and ensure that the constituency remains in the hands of the party. It's not my constituency, but the party's,' he said. Efforts to reach Daniel for comment were futile as his mobile phone rang unanswered. It was later switched off.