A new leadership tussle has emerged within the ranks of the South Sudan National Alliance, a grouping of ten political parties that signed the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
Addressing a press conference in Juba on Tuesday, Joseph Wol Modesto, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of South Sudan and a member of the National Alliance said seven out of the ten parties in the group declared that they had ousted the group`s leader, Kornelio Kon Ngu, who is also a Deputy Speaker in the National Legislature.
“We, the undersigned leadership of the National Alliance of Political Parties, hereby formally announce the relief of Rt. Hon. Kornelio Kon Ngu from the position of assigned Chairman of the National Alliance with immediate effect,” he stated. “This decision has been reached after thorough deliberation and deep consideration of the best interests of our organization and its members.”
Wol and his group accused Kon of violating the good conduct of business regulations of the National Alliance of Political Parties and that he had overstayed in the chairman’s office since 2016.
“He (Kon) embraced acts of corruption and misappropriation of positions. He unequivocally took for himself eight out of fifteen parliamentary and Council of States seats of the National Alliance of Political Parties. His personalization of the National Alliance as his party and his abuse of power by revoking a chairman of the other party without consulting other parties in National Alliance” Wol stated. “He suspended one of the parties from the National Alliance of Political Parties without consulting other parties in National Alliance and he took 70 percent of the executive positions across the states.”
He highlighted that the National Alliance has always upheld the highest standards of leadership, integrity, and commitment to its shared goals and values.
“It is imperative that our leadership reflects these unquestionable principles. Unfortunately, we have concluded that Rt. Hon. Kornelio Kon Ngu’s continued tenure as Chairman does not align with these standards at this time,” Wol added.
Moving forward, the group announced Juma Saeed Worju as Interim Chairman until a permanent replacement is elected and appointed deputized by Jeach Chuol Gai Chuong as interim deputy chairperson and Monyror Nyok Deng Lwar as interim Secretary General.
According to Wol, a special committee has been formed to oversee the transitional process and ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities, and the National Alliance will convene a meeting to discuss the way forward and outline the process for appointing a new Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and Secretary General
“We assure all members and stakeholders that this decision, while difficult, is made in the best interest of the National Alliance,” he concluded. “Our commitment to our mission remains steadfast, and we are confident that this change will enable us to continue to pursue our goals with renewed focus and enthusiasm.”
For his part, Albino John Laku, Chairman of the Democratic Movement Party, said they have been raising complaints to the embattled chairman but he ignored them.
“I raised the issue in the first sitting of the National Assembly and Council of States because other parties had been deprived, they were not even given seats in this representation. When I raised this question, Hon. Kon confirmed that he made a mistake but was going to revoke all the appointees in the political parties he made but he never did that,” he narrated. “He went on and when we ask him, he dodges. So, lastly, he began to remove anybody who would raise a complaint. He started revoking the appointment of other people without even sitting, but the rule of law in the National Alliance is that anybody can be appointed, can be replaced when people sit at the table and discuss.”
Meanwhile, Philip Jiben, a member of the United Sudan African Party (USAP), a member of the National Alliance whose membership to the TNLA was revoked earlier this month, accused Kornelio Kon of masterminding his removal.
“USAP is from individual political parties who are signatories to the agreement and we are part of the power-sharing. On 1 August 2024, I got the decree from the President of the Republic of South Sudan removing me without consultation with USAP and the other parties,” he said. “It is not the right of somebody from another political party to intervene in another because USAP is a signatory to the agreement and it signed. So, USAP calls for reinstatement of our member to parliament.”
Efforts to reach TNLA Deputy Speaker Kornelio Kon for comment were unsuccessful.