Higher Education Minister Gabriel Changson Chang has been ousted as leader of the Federal Democratic Party (FDP), a group of party officials announced in Juba on Thursday.
Changson, the Chairman of the Federal Democratic Party (FDP) and a member of the South Sudanese Opposition Alliance (SSOA) participating in the transitional government, was deposed following a gathering of senior FDP leaders in Juba on 5 November, a group of party leaders said at a press conference.
Changkuoth Bichiok Reath, the party’s former secretary-general, was declared interim leader of the group. Changkuoth was expelled from the FDP on 3 November 2024 for allegedly violating the protocols of the party.
Addressing the media in Juba on Thursday, Changkuoth Bichiok, now the interim chairperson of the faction opposed to Changson, explained that the party was facing a crisis that it had reached the point of deposing the former chairperson.
He said, “On November 5, 2024, the National Leadership Council (NLC) held a quarterly meeting to discuss the behavior and misconduct of Hon. Gabriel Changson Chang. This came after he issued a press release in which he claimed to have expelled the Secretary General, Hon. Changkuoth, from the party.”
Bichiok accused Changson of making key decisions unilaterally, without consulting or holding meetings with the Leadership Council. He also alleged that Changson appointed a relative as the acting Secretary General after dismissing Changkuoth.
“The NLC found no grounds for such drastic actions,” Bichiok said, emphasizing that the party constitution contains provisions governing these matters.
He added that the Leadership Council had no choice but to remove Changson for sowing division within the party and for “his dictatorial style of leadership.”
William Obany Otong, the Secretary General for Membership Affairs, echoed Bichiok’s concerns, criticizing the current state of the party. “Unfortunately, the party has strayed from its roots and values. It has become a dictatorship, now a party controlled by one person and one family,” Otong stated.
He pointed to the concentration of power in the Upper Nile region, claiming that all key positions within the party and the government are held by members of Changson’s family. “Even the Ministry of Higher Education, along with its directors, is controlled by one family. We used to believe that no party should operate in such a manner,” Otong remarked.
Attempts to reach Gabriel Changson Chang for a comment were unsuccessful.