To contest 2023 BDP primaries
‘Yes I have interest of contesting the 2024 elections’
PHILLIMON MMESO
editors@thepatriot.co.bw
Former Member of Parliament for Mmathete/Molapowabojang Dr Alfred Madigela is said to be toying with the idea of a political comeback by challenging Dr Edwin Dikoloti in the primary elections.
Madigela who lost to Dikoloti in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primary elections in 2018 is said to have already started the ground work in the constituency.
Madigela who returned to medical practice by opening a private clinic is said to be taking advantage of Dikoloti’s taxing schedule as Minister of Health and Wellness and dealing with Covid-19 pandemic by working up the constituency.
In a brief interview Madigela said that he has interest in returning to politics but that will depend on other factors.
He denied that he has already started working up the constituency indicating that he respects the party’s code of conduct regarding elections.
Concerted efforts to get comment from Dr Dikoloti proved to be an uphill as he didn’t answer his mobile phone.
Madigela who seemed to have lost interest in active politics after losing to Dikoloti in the primary elections by focusing on his career as a medical practitioner is said to have been approached by some party elders in the constituency to make a comeback.
The imminent comeback of Madigela is said to have not sat down well with Dikoloti who has been accused of neglecting the constituency and recently approached President Mokgweetsi Masisi to be dropped from cabinet.
Dikoloti together with Member of Parliament for Lobatse Dr Thapelo Matsheka are said to have approached President Masisi regarding lack of development thereof in their constituencies and wanted to step down from cabinet so that they can freely advocate for developments.
“The most worrying to Dikoloti is that Madigela is not openly campaigning making it difficult to report him to the party leadership,” revealed a source in Mmathete.
Those who supported Madigela in the 2018 primary elections are adamant that he was cheated in the primary elections as the margin was too narrow.
In the primary elections which saw many cabinet ministers being thrashed out of politics, Dikoloti garnered 3369 votes to take Madigela to the political cleaners as he got 3062 votes.
Madigela is said to have been advised by elders in the constituency to drop from challenging for the BDP central committee elections on focus on campaigning to reclaim the constituency.
The battle between the two Drs is expected to produce fireworks as the two like to use their profession to woo voters.
When Madigela was challenging Peter Siele in the 2013 primary elections he used his medical specialty to call other medical doctors to assist people in the constituency and managed to triumph.
Dikoloti who is a veterinarian also the same tactic to eliminate Madigela by assisting farmers on how they could take care of their livestock and even injecting their cattle and small stock. The strategy brought him votes.