SPLM primaries in Greater Pibor face dispute over alleged interference

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) primaries in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) have faced allegations of interference, violence and irregularities, with candidates calling for the process to follow party rules. In a statement, aspiring Chief Administrator candidate Gola Boyoi Gola responded to allegations made by the office of SPLM Deputy Secretary-General for Administration and Finance Baba Midan Konyi, who accused the Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), Hon. David Ngiro, of attempting to prevent other candidates from contesting for the Chief Administrator position in favour of Gola. Gola denied the allegations, including claims that documents had been forged in Lekuangole to facilitate voting in his favour. He said the primaries in question were intended to select county SPLM chairpersons, not the area party chairperson.

Gola accused Baba Midan of attempting to influence the electoral committee in favour of his preferred candidate, Hakim Ngandoyo. “The committee rejected this request several times, informing him that we are not here to favour one candidate, but rather to work in accordance with the SPLM guidelines given to us by the National Secretariat,” Gola said. He further alleged that after the committee rejected the requests, three aircraft carrying youths from Juba arrived in Pibor to disrupt the process and target the delegation. According to Gola, the team travelled to Lekuangole, where armed youths were mobilised to stop the process. He said the committee refused to include names that were not on the voter register, leading to violence and the suspension of the primaries in the area. “They resorted to violence until the committee suspended the primaries in Lekuangole and returned to Pibor headquarters,” he…