Politicians from the democratic change party are splitting over who should become the head of the party after its founding chairman resigned last month.
Lam Akol , the founding leader resigned in July from his ministerial position as the minister of agriculture representing alliance of political parties and as chairman of Democratic Change Party in protest of lack of political space in the country, and for failure by the government under president Salva Kiir to implement the August 2015 peace which he signed with armed and non-armed groups to end more than two years war.
The party has since his resignation been trying to convene a national convention at which his replacement would be selected.
Anyoti Adigo, former minority leader in the national legislative assembly denied on Monday that he was planning to impose himself on the party, claiming he was only responding to the calls by members.
” It is not true that I am trying to hijack the leadership and impose myself on the party. What I am doing is simply to organise the party so that it should remain united. Those saying I am planning to select myself are making their own facts. It is not true. We have not discussed and arrived at that decision, taking all into consideration. We are merely strengthening our party because of the national sentiment that it is there and ensuring that there is stability and continuity of the objectives of the party and its programs”, said Anyoti.
He claimed he had talked to party members, including its secretary general about the reorganization of the party to allow members choose at the national executive committee to select leader of their choice. “Let me repeat that I am not planning to hijack the party. I am only responding to call of the members of the party and all I am doing is to fulfil this call in order to strengthen the unity of the party”, he added.
While Anyoti denies planning to impose himself on the party, Deng Bior Deng, Secretary General of Democratic Party Change accused him of hijacking the party without the legal structure in the party constitution. He said the move by Onyoti is unilateral.
Speaking on Monday at the party premise in Juba, Deng said this is not the first time that Onyoti allowed himself to divide the party. In 2012, he said, Anyoti was allegedly pushed by some eternal circles to take over the party on the ground that the chairman was outside the country.
“Since the resignation of the former chairman of the party on 28th of July, 2016, Onyoti has shown a very sharp appetite to become the chairman of the party by hooks and crooks. He raised the matter in a NEC meeting that the NLC should be convened to elect the new chairman”, he said.
“We advise Onyoti that dividing the party will not help him realize his burning ambition because very few members will go with him and his backers will then see no value in him anymore”, Deng stressed.
Deng explained that Acting chairman of the party Onyoti unilaterally issued decrees on 26th October, 2016 convening an extraordinary session of the national leadership Council. He said Anyoti acted outside the constitution and regulations of the Party. Article 14(3) of the party constitution provides that the NLC is convened by the NEC and called on behalf of the NEC by the chairperson. The NEC did not take a decision to convene the NLC.
“Before we raised our complaint to the chairman of the Political Parties Council, We advised the Acting Chairman to desist from acting outside the constitution and the Regulations of the party. To our dismay, he did not heed our advice leaving us with no option but to seek redress from the PPC”“Having lost his position as minority leader in Parliament, Onyoti is desperate to get a constitutional position. He said there can never be a shortcut to the leadership, especially in a party of DC’s stature”, he said. “We have sacrificed for this party and will not allow it to be hijacked by self-seeking individual”, Deng added.