Antipas Nyok slams ‘disappointed’ SPLM politicians calling for his removal

JUBA — The deputy governor of South Sudan’s Jonglei state Antipas Nyok who doubles as the chairman of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) faction in the state has described politicians calling for his removal as disappointed politicians looking for positions.

On July 24, a group of politicians calling themselves ‘Senior SPLM Representatives’ in Jonglei state urged President Salva Kiir to replace Nyok who they said has employed policies of divisions among party members there.

“We are now in the media because we found no avenue for dialogue. As a party, it is a concern to us that we are divided while the elections are approaching. So, we are calling on the president to dismiss Antipas Nyok,” Gabriel Deng Ajak, the group’s representative, said on Monday, according to Radio Tamazuj. 

For his part, Antipas Nyok, denied all the accusations against him, dismissed them as baseless, and said the group is disgruntled because they were not reappointed in the government. 

“Some of them were former constitutional post holders. They are disappointed in losing positions as a result of the reunification of the states. So, this has nothing to do with my failure,” he stressed. 

Meanwhile, Deng Ajang Duot, the state SPLM Secretary-General, said while the party activities are ongoing smoothly, they will continue to seek dialogue. 

“As a party, we are operating normally. What happened is that this group is not happy for not being in the government. But if they are willing, we will dialogue with them to solve the problem,” Ajang said.