Ex-lawmaker of Leer County threatens to petition court over ‘illegal’ replacement

JUBA – A senior South Sudanese former member of the National Legislative Assembly who represented Leer-Adok constituency No. 23 in Unity state has threatened to petition court after his name was omitted on the lists of recently appointed MPs in reconstituted parliament.

“After President Kiir reconstituted the parliament, and members of parliament were appointed, we were never returned to the parliament, and we were many. We were about 57 MPs,” Kam Gai Chol told Sudans Post in an exclusive interview on Sunday.

“What is happening is tribal; the seat has been given to the wife of the finance [minister] in Unity State, if the case is not resolved we will take it to the constitutional court,” Gai added.

Gai, who won the seat during the 2010 elections on the SPLM ticket, said his right to represent his people was violated when he was replaced by another person from the area.

“The constituency comes through 2010 election, it has no relation with the power-sharing ratio of the SPLM or SPLA-IO, our constituency is independent, we want the replacement to come from Leer, not from any other county and this itself is fueling of conflict,” he said.

He said the community of Leek-Adok wants his replacement to come from the same area and shouldn’t be taken to another area.

“We together with chiefs residing in UNMISS and Mangaten raised complaints to SPLM headquarter, and we want our constituency. If I am removed then the replacement must come from the same area, why should the constituency be taken to another area,” he said

He said President Salva Kiir Mayardit has made very clear that whoever came through the 2010 elections should not be replaced

“The president directs that anyone who comes through the election should not be replaced, we do not want to fight back although what is happening is tribal. We will take legal measures,” he said.