Saleshando sues Parliament, Speaker
The President of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Dumelang Saleshando is suing Parliament and its Speaker, Gladys Kokorwe for his nomination as specially elected Member of Parliament.
The BCP leader has launched legal proceedings against the Speaker of the National Assembly, Kokorwe, the National Assembly and the Attorney General for accepting his name as one of the nominees for the special elected MP without his consent.
Saleshando was nominated for the specially elected MP seat early last month, alongside Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Secretary General Botsalo Ntuane and the Speaker. At the time, the Speaker of the National Assembly declined to reveal the names of the MPs who nominated them.
In his notice for intention to sue submitted through his lawyer Martin Dingake, Saleshando argues that he never intended to be nominated for consideration or election as specially elected MP. He says he never authorised anyone to nominate him, neither had he even consented to the nomination.
Saleshando now wants the Speaker to be ordered to disclose the name of the person who nominated him. The former MP for Gaborone Central also wants the decision by Kokorwe to accept his name as a nominee contrary to Parliament Standing Orders and other relevant legislation, to be declared unlawful and set aside.
He also wants an order to declare as null and void the decision by Parliament to endorse Kokorwe’s decision to accept his nomination and that the decision should be reviewed. The respondents have been given 30 days to respond from last week Thursday, which is the date they were served.
Kokorwe told Parliament on the day of election for the Specially Elected MP that the law was silent on whether a person nominated from the floor of Parliament should have consented to the nomination and whether the person who made the nomination should be disclosed.
Following this the opposition MPs abstained from participating in the election that saw Eric Molale who was nominated by President Ian Khama, returning to Parliament as Specially Elected MP beating Saleshando, Ntuane and Shampoo Matshediso who was nominated by Francistown South MP Wynter Mmolotsi.
Later that day Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi released a press statement stating that an opposition MP had nominated Ntuane with the aim of trying to sow discord in the BDP.
This rubbed the opposition MPs the wrong way as they have for weeks now demanded that they be told how Masisi knew about this development since the Speaker of the National Assembly had previously declined to disclose the names of the MPs who nominated Ntuane and Saleshando.
Deputy Speaker, Kagiso Molatlhegi promised the MPs that he would investigate the issue and update Parliament in due course.