The recent Islamic Council elections in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have left the Muslim faithful there divided, with some rejecting elected Secretary-General Ibrahim Deng Akok and members of the General Assembly.
Last weekend, a convention was held, and the incumbent, Ibrahim Deng Akok, retained his position amidst claims by sections of the Muslims that the electoral process was politicized and not free and fair.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, some Muslims said the elections were bungled and demanded the immediate dissolution of the new Islamic leadership in the state.
Adam Dau, a Muslim leader, said it was unfortunate that the Muslim faithful were not given a chance to elect a leader of their choice.
“What happened in the recent changes in the Islamic Council in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State was unfortunate and did not reflect Islamic work because everything is supposed to be done through popular consultations,” he said. “What happened was pure politics because if there is a convention, Muslims will elect a suitable person to manage their religious affairs, but the National Islamic Council in Juba endorsed a person who is not wanted by the Muslims in the state and cancelled any parallel contests. This was not a good convention.”
“Some few Muslims were provided with cards to take part in the event, others were denied, and the police moved them away until the convention and election of the seating secretary-general were concluded,’’ he added.
Another Muslim, Ker Malek, said the convention and the elections were meant to install a person who would ensure the progress of Islamic projects, but they were surprised when the free competition was suspended.
“The convention was scheduled with the aim that the Muslims would elect a person who can protect their resources in the state and implement some Islamic development projects,” he said. “However, we were surprised that the National Islamic Sectary-General influenced the convention and ordered that people should not contest against the incumbent boss.”
However, Akuei Deng Bak, the secretary for Information and communication at the Northern Bahr el Ghazal Islamic Council, maintained that Secretary-General Ibrahim Deng Akok defeated Bol Ruonrach and Juma Achiech in free and fair elections.
“The convention ended on Saturday, and Ibrahim Deng Akok is the secretary-general of the Islamic Council. Members of the General Assembly were also elected. The elections were so transparent because three candidates contested for the post, but Deng won,” he explained. “The first candidate, Juma Achiec who is a sheikh of Akuem Mosque, and the second candidate, Bol Ruonrach Bak, were not seconded by any voters.”
The information secretary said there were supposed to be 151 voters, but some people boycotted the elections, and only 127 turned up.
“The elections were done transparently. How can people say the elections were not transparent yet the South Sudan National Islamic Council Secretary-General, government officials, and other guests, including the Western Bahr el Ghazal State Islamic Secretary-General, Ismael Turki attended as a guest of honour” he asked. “This thing was transparent in front of all the people, but others deny that.”