‘I’m going nowhere!’ Shoshong MP
Member of Parliament (MP) for Shoshong, Aubrey Lesaso has dismissed allegations that he is on his way to join the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Sources close to the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) man claim Lesaso has been offered a multimillion Pula construction tender in exchange for his defection.
They maintain Lesaso heads a pack of three MPs who have been recruited by the President, Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Insisting a switch was imminent, the sources – including Lesaso’s friends and other MPs – told The Voice, “It is just a matter of time before he defects. There is nothing that the UDC can do because some decisions are personal and we cannot get involved in them as a party.”
One of the sources speculated ‘the pending defections’ are the reason the ruling party is ‘dragging its feet’ on the Floor Crossing Bill expected to be tabled by the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public, Kabo Morwaeng before the end of the current sitting.
“Once the three cross, the Bill will be tabled in parliament,” predicted the source.
When The Voice contacted Lesaso for comment, the MP insisted he was going nowhere.
“I am not on my way to the BDP; it is either I am very special or I am a low hanging fruit for every party! I belong to the UDC. If I wanted to move to any party you would have been the second to know after the people who elected me to this 12th Parliament, Shoshong constituency,” was his emphatic response.
Lesaso has previously been linked to Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), and was reportedly given an ultimatum by the party’s patron, former President, Ian Khama.
Meanwhile BDP’s Head of Communications, Kagelelo Kentse would not be drawn into talking about individuals.
However, he confirmed the BDP were on a recruitment drive.
“We will continue searching for new members at UDC, BPF and Alliance for Progressives. Our aim is to have this recruitment drive until the next general elections,” explained Kentse.
