May 26th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – A Latjor state official has attributed mass defections from the SPLM-IO faction led by First Vice-President Taban Deng Gai to party mismanagement by Petroleum Minister, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth who is also the head of External Relations of the group.
Riek Yak Guandong, a state ministry technical advisor for Latjor state who was a chapter chairperson for the SPLM-IO Taban faction in Uganda said most political chapters in several countries representing the fractured SPLM-IO have returned to Machar’s faction.
This, he said, is due to mismanagement by Lol Gatkuoth who is the head of external relations of the SPLM-IO.
“Most of these Chapters have now returned back to IO-Machar due to unfortunate management of Amb. Ezekiel who was assigned to deal with external affairs in the party leadership,” the advisor said in a letter addressed to the FVP Taban Deng Gai.
“Our party has been ruined by Amb. Ezekiel Lol. Many supporters have left the party because of frustrations and failure of somebody who can address their anxiety,” he added in the letter.
He accused the Petroleum Minister of mostly being attentive to the SPLM-IO Chapter in Ethiopia and this, he said, is because it is ran by his relatives.
“But without doubt he chooses and degraded himself only to deal with some Chapters leaving others unattended. He positioned his energy on Ethiopia Chapter alone, for the evidence that it was ran by his relatives,” he said.
He further praised the leadership of the FVP Taban Deng Gai saying he had gained an all-out support from South Sudanese who had been only just turned away by Ezekiel Lol.
“Many South Sudanese loves H.E Gen. Taban Deng Gai as a man of peace. His supporters have one challenge that is once they have joint IO party, they would unexpectedly met Amb. Lol who claims to be the right hand of Gen. Taban, while in another hand, he is chasing away IO supporters,” he said.
