The People’s Liberal Party (PLP), one of the opposition parties out of the unity government in Juba, said it will block the nomination of MPs from the SPLM-IO faction loyal to Taban Deng Gai to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

The chairman of the opposition party Peter Mayen Majongdit said in a statement on July that the SPLM-IO group led by Taban Deng Gai is not a political party but an armed opposition movement with its military wing.

“The EA treaty clearly stated that only political party not armed movement shall present candidates to contest in national parliament for EALA. Involvement of the armed movement in nominations to EALA and participation of armed movement process undermined the principles of the East Africa Community of promoting democracy, good governance and political pluralism,” party reads the statement.

Mayen pointed out that the current power-sharing agreement does not apply to nomination processes to The East African parliament. The statement noted that the term for serving as a member of the EALA is five years while SPLM-IO’s legitimacy will expire on 17 August 2018.

“SPLM-IO lacks a clearly defined future. It goes on to three  scenarios  might happen:  either SPLM-IO  continues as an armed movement, transform itself into a future political party or return to its mother unit of SPLM party, making  involvement of SPLM-IO completely unconstitutional and potential future’s threat to the community,” he said.

SPLM-IO spokesman Agel Machar said they would seek legal opinions when the case is taken to court. “We read it in the papers that he is willing to go to court. We have no problem with that. When time comes,   we will go to court and there we will see what the law says and whatever the law says that is what we will do,” said Agel.