WBEG official hits back at speaker for claims of interference in parliament

Western Bahr al Ghazal Deputy Governor Zachariah Joseph Garang has dismissed accusations that executive officials including the governor are encouraging the removal of Speaker Andrea Mayar through impeachment in the state legislative assembly.

Western Bahr al Ghazal Deputy Governor Zachariah Joseph Garang has dismissed accusations that executive officials including the governor are encouraging the removal of Speaker Andrea Mayar through impeachment in the state legislative assembly.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Garang said the accusations levelled against the governor by the speaker were baseless. “There are problems within the assembly, but the executive doesn’t interfere with the affairs of assembly,” he claimed.

Yet he confirmed that efforts are underway to remove Andrea. “I am not a member of the assembly, but I have learned that there are signatures being collected by the members against the speaker,” he added.  

The deputy governor urged the speaker to focus on the assembly’s internal problems that led the members to collect signatures for his removal instead of accusing the governor and his deputy falsely.

Andrea Mayar recently told Radio Tamazuj that Governor Rizig Zachariah Hassan was inciting the parliamentarians to impeach him from office. He also accused the governor of interfering with the affairs of the state assembly and squandering state money in bribes for a group of lawmakers trying to oust him.

File photo: Governor Rizig Zachariah