We won’t allow BDP to rig elections again –Boko

SEROWE: President of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Duma Boko, has once again accused the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) of rigging the 2019 General Election. Boko has sworn that in the 2024 General Election, the UDC won’t allow the alleged rigging to happen again.

Boko, who is also the president of the Botswana National Front (BNF), said this at a packed rally here over the weekend. The UDC is currently on a countrywide tour dubbed, ‘A re ikwadise tour’ and was in the central region this past weekend.

Taking the microphone, Boko did not mince his words explaining why the UDC decided to participate and lobby for observers called Madibela Tlhopo. Boko said they saw the need to have Madibela Tlhopo because the BDP cheated in the last general election and manipulated the electoral process.

“I am concentrating on making sure that the BDP doesn’t steal elections. We are resolute and we will do all in our power to make sure that this time around the BDP doesn’t cheat. They are having sleepless nights because we have picked and exposed their cheating ways and we are making sure it doesn’t happen again,” Boko said as he received a loud applause from the crowd coloured in blue, yellow and purple representing party colours of the member parties in opposition coalition, the BNF, the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), the Alliance for Progressives (AP), and the Botswana People’s Party (BPP).

“They will try to find other ways but we will not allow this to happen; we will fight until they give up. We will not allow what happened in 2019 to happen again in 2024. We will use the law to fight. We are going to get to the 2024 General Election having fixed all irregularities that we have noticed and noted with the electoral process led by the IEC. The BDP dominance has come to an end. Let’s get ready, let’s introspect,” he added.

Boko further said Batswana have two options going into next year’s election. “You have two choices, one is to vote for a government that harasses its people, your chief and leader skipped the country because they wanted to arrest him, they wanted to humiliate him, which is what the government of today does. The BDP doesn’t take you seriously,” he noted.

According to Boko, the UDC is the better option. “The other choice is to vote a government which advocates a much higher minimum wage. We say the minimum wage should be P3,000. We say a Motswana who is 55 and older should be given P1, 500 by the government. That is what we are saying when you vote us in 2024; that is what we will do for you. We say our government will not prioritise buying cattle semen when there is no medication for you at the clinics and hospitals, we will give priority to saving your lives. This is what separates us from the BDP,” he said.

The ‘sekhukhu’ leader further urged Batswana to register to vote in numbers. “Go out there and register to vote. They will not get away with cheating this time around. When we take over, we will not send the police after them, after taking over we will give them three months to turn themselves in.”

Boko has always remained adamant in his belief that the 2019 General Election were rigged by the BDP. In January 2020 the Court of Appeal (CoA) dismissed with costs 14 UDC election petitions. The petitions were dismissed citing a lack of jurisdiction. The UDC had petitioned the court and contested the outcome of the elections citing “irregularities in some of the constituencies”.

Before the CoA judgment, the petitions were dismissed by the High Court a day before Christmas Day in 2019. Boko’s stolen election claims were discredited by judges in election petitions that failed to overturn the election result.

The BDP, which has continuously been accused of rigging elections and using state institutions to maintain its stay in power, has denied this so many times and insists it is popular with the electorate. The BDP has even stated that people who are peddling lies about rigging are delusional. The BDP said the continuing baseless and false narrative that it rigged the 2019 General Election firstly undermines the honourable courts of Botswana that decided on the election petitions.

“Secondly, Boko and all people who are peddling this false narrative that the elections were rigged are undermining Batswana who stood in long queues to vote for the BDP. Thirdly, all baseless assertions that the elections were rigged undermine the democratic process of choosing leaders (ruling party) in Botswana,” BDP spokesperson, Kagelelo Kentse previously told this publication in an interview.

They are having sleepless nights because we have picked and exposed their cheating ways and we are making sure it doesn’t happen again