The national alliance of South Sudanese opposition parties urged the Supreme Court on Monday to stay presidential order increasing the number of states from 10 to 28.

The political parties said the move contravenes the Compromise Peace Agreement and undermines unity of the people and functions of the legislature.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, the secretary general of the alliance, Martin Abe Aligo, said his oganization was dismayed that instead of the country focusing on solving the many economic challenges it is facing, the government was engaging in diversionary tactics which deceive nobody.

"That decision is ill advised," he said. "It’s contrary to tradition and lacks legal backing.”

“In all this, one question keeps cropping up in minds of many citizens: whether the government does have competent legal advisors?" he stated. "If there are, where are they in all this? Are they merely praise singers, hyped to do the imperial president’s bidding, or are they competent personalities who put the country and citizens first?"

Andrew Okonyo Ayom, deputy minority leader in the parliament from the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) party said in a separate interview on Monday that they have asked the Supreme Court to stay the order because the move creates more divisions and will not extend better service delivery to the people as intended.

“It shows a total disregard for constitutionalism," he said of the order. "Where the rule of law and constitutionalism is respected, no one is above the constitution, not the president, not parliament, or the executive. Every governmental conduct, law or policy must conform to the constitution."

File photo: heads of opposition parties meet in Juba