JUBA—Former minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth has alleged that his supporters faced intimidation and that new members of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) were misinformed about him following his defeat in the party’s primary for the Longechuk County National Assembly seat.
Gatkuoth, a former member of the opposition SPLM-IO who joined the ruling party in 2016, lost the nomination contest to Cde. Gach Wuol Guandong.
In a statement issued after the vote, Gatkuoth raised concerns regarding delegate selection and the overall electoral process, though he did not provide specific details or evidence to substantiate his claims.
“I participated in the SPLM primaries for the Longechuk County National MP seat but lost to Cde. Gach Wuol Guandong,” Gatkuoth said. “While there are concerns and different accounts surrounding the delegates, the electoral process, our new members from IO being misinformed about me, and intimidation against those supporting Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, I believe the greater responsibility before us is to preserve peace, unity, and stability.”
The SPLM High-Level Committee has not yet responded to Gatkuoth’s allegations.
Despite his grievances, the now die-hard supporter of President Salva Kiir urged party members to prioritise peace over disagreements.
Gatkuoth praised the SPLM High-Level Committee, led by Magueth Deng Kuol, for managing the exercise and noted that the process concluded without violence.
“Democracy is good for our country, and we must continue to uphold its principles, even when the outcomes do not favour us,” he stated. “Our differences must never be greater than our love for our people and our country. I am glad that the process concluded peacefully, and I call upon everyone to continue choosing dialogue, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence.”
He reiterated his call for unity, urging party members to put personal differences aside in favour of reconciliation following the competitive vote.
The allegations come as the SPLM conducts internal primaries and county-level congresses to select candidates for South Sudan’s planned December 22, 2026, general elections.
The ruling party leadership has made it clear that all aspirants must secure official nomination through the internal democratic processes before contesting in the national vote, as South Sudan prepares for its first general elections since gaining independence in 2011.
Gatkuoth, who was controversially known for saying, ‘Our tribe is Salva Kiir Mayardit, who is paying us,’ called on the Gajaak Nuer community, particularly the residents of Longechuk County, to unite behind President Salva Kiir and the SPLM.
He pledged to actively campaign for President Kiir and other nominated party candidates despite losing his own bid.
Gatkuoth previously served as Minister of Petroleum and later as Minister of Public Service under the power-sharing arrangements established by the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
