NDM says its candidate for Jonglei is “unopposed”

June 27, 2020 News, Newsbeat, South Sudan

National Democratic Movement, Dr. Lam Akal(Photo credit: Nyamilepedia)

June 27, 2020 (SSNN) – The National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin has said that its candidate for governor of Jonglei state is unopposed within the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) denying reports that claims the group has given up on the race.

This week, Dr. Lam Akol wrote to President Salva Kiir, asking him to consider the appointment of his group’ secretary-general, Mahjuob Biel Turuk, as the new governor of Jonglei state.

However, some members of the Alliance led by the opposition consortium’s chairperson, Josephine Lagu, said the group has not nominated anyone yet and there were reports that the NDM has agreed to relinquish race on the gubernatorial position in favor of Denay Jock Chagor, the current minister of higher education.

In a statement on Friday, the NDM dismissed the reports saying their candidate was the sole candidate in the SSOA for the governorship of Jonglei state and as such unopposed as no other organizations within the Alliance have declared a candidate.

“This piece is nothing but a hoax created by some individuals to divert the attention of the public from the truth of the subject matter,” the statement seen by South Sudan News Now said of the reports.

“The truth is that SSOA never met let alone agreeing on the position and this is because the other group is avoiding meetings because they are intending to make their nominations behind curtains and steal the Governorship the same way they stole the ministries on 12 March 2020.

“We would like to remind the public that NDM made its nomination in an official letter addressed to the President of the Republic dated 25th June 2020 for the position of the Governor of Jonglei

“It is worth mentioning that NDM’s nomination was also earlier on seconded by the SSLM which is one of the constituent organizations of SSOA and since no other nomination was made officially, then our candidate goes unopposed.”