March 7th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – A senior opposition official of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by renowned South Sudan politician, Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, welcomed on Wednesday a IGAD request for procedures governing elections in the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) which split in November last year.
On Tuesday, the IGAD special envoy for South Sudan, Amb. Ismail Wais, wrote to the de facto SSOA Chairman Changson Lew asking him for procedures governing the elections in the opposition alliance to solve a dispute over leadership in the group.
In November last year, an election conducted in the Sudanese capital Khartoum led to split within the SSOA after five of eight representatives from the groups that make up the SSOA elected Gatdet to succeed Changson as leader of the alliance.
Changson who reportedly accepted the results at first later abruptly changed his mind and decided to cancel the results saying it was not conducted based on the SSOA charters which provides for leadership transfer every six months.
Gatdet who has since considered himself a de facto leader of the opposition umbrella wrote to the regional body to rein so as to prevent the group sliding into chaos that may jeopardize the peace agreement signed last year.
Speaking to the Nyamilepedia on Wednesday, David Lawrence Lual, a senior member of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), welcomed the request saying it is a step and a timely decision which he said is aimed at ending the problem in the SSOA.
“It is a good step and a timely decision to put an end to the situation that unfolded,” he said. “The IGAD special envoy to South Sudan requesting from Changson means only one thing: He wants a clarification or justification of why Changson refused the results of the democratic process that led to the election of Gen. Gadet.”
