Dr. Akol urges Kiir to accept his nominee for Jonglei governor

June 25, 2020 News, Newsbeat

Dr. Lam Akol meeting Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa, months after fleeing Juba, South Sudan(Photo credit: file)

June 25, 2020 (SSNN) – The leader of South Sudan’s National Democratic Movement (NDM) and Secretary-General of South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, has urged President Salva Kiir to accept his nominee for Jonglei state governor.

This comes as different emerge in the opposition consortium over which state should be allocated to the eight-member alliance after President Kiir and main armed opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny agreed to divide up the state according to their choice.

The agreement saw the alliance being give the state of Jonglei, which it rejects hoping for oil-rich Upper Nile state which has so far been given by the agreement to the SPLM-IO led by Machar.

While the chairperson of the alliance Josephine Lagu expressed rejection of the deal, Dr. Lam and General Bapiny Manytuil, the leader of South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM), a member of the alliance, welcomed the Kiir-Machar decisions saying it would help in ending the ongoing intercommunal fight in the states.

Lam, a day later, announced that his group, the NDM, has nominated the group’s secretary-general Dr. Mahjuob Turuk, for the governorship of the state.

In a letter addressed to the president on June 25, Dr. Lam urged the Kiir to consider his nominees as that was the last chance for the NDM to serve in the revitalized government because most positions have been taken by other colleagues at the national level.

“Pursuant to the agreement reached on the 17th instant regarding the allocation of the Governors of States to Parties to the R-ARCSS, we in SSOA have started the process of choosing our candidate for the position of the Governor of Jonglei State,” the prominent opposition leader said.

“The selection procedure has always been for the interested constituent organizations to make their nominations, seconded by another and the Leadership Council chooses the one with more votes in the Council or if there was only one candidate then he/she wins unopposed,” he added.

In the letter, Lam stated that the group, in accordance with nominees-selection procedures, nominated its “Secretary-General, Mr. Mahjuob Biel Turuk, to the position of Governor of Jonglei State. The nomination was seconded by the SSLM.”

“To date, no other nominations were made. Therefore, SSOA LC should have adopted him as the nominee of SSOA to the position. However, some organizations within SSOA are reluctant to hold a meeting for that purpose for reasons best known to them.

“As time is ticking, we are obliged to present our nomination directly to your Excellency hoping that he gets the appointment.”