Northern Bahr al Ghazal politician Jel Mangok has denied a claim made by the ex-deputy governor Arkanjelo Athian that he remains the legitimate SPLM deputy chairman in place of Mangok, whose January takeover he described as “unconstitutional and illegal.”
Radio Tamazuj reported yesterday that Arkanjelo still claims to be the number two in the party in the state, in spite of a reshuffle in January that has been endorsed by the state party chairman.
Jel Mangok responded to Arkanjelo’s challenge in an interview with Radio Tamazuj today saying that his rival actually abandoned the SPLM whereas he was elected in January by the state SPLM Liberation Council.
“He has rejected the SPLM and if he rejected the SPLM then it cannot belong to him. …the party has done its reorganization and that is how I became the deputy of the party in the state. That is the decision of the Liberation Council, not me alone who came and said I want to become [deputy chairman].”
Two groups within the ruling party in Aweil are currently engaged in a power struggle. Jel Mangok is part of the group aligned with former governor Paul Malong.
Related:
Arkanjelo Athian says he is still SPLM deputy chairman in Aweil (12 March)