In an in-depth interview with Sudans Post, the party’s leader Dengbil William Aguer, however, said the party’s flag bearer would be democratically elected.
“APC will file a candidate for the top seat [presidency]. I cannot certainly say it’s going to be me because we will have primary elections within our party; so, it’ll be up to party members to elect our flag bearer,” Dengbil explained.
“We are not a one man show like what we have witnessed with SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] where President Salva Kiir Mayardit is endorsed unprocedurally. We are a democratic entity and anyone who wants to be our flag bearer must be subjected to a primary election,” he added.
APC is a youth-led opposition political party established in South Sudan in 2021.
In 2022, however, its leader was detained for opposing the government in power.
The opposition leader stressed the need to conduct elections in the country, saying people want to elect their leaders especially those with the nation at heart.
“I equally believe that leadership is a national cake just like crude oil, Gold, and Diamond. Its dividends must be shared and the best way to share it is through competitive, free, and fair election,” he told Sudans Post.
Dengbil said the ruling party (SPLM-IG) was delaying the 2024 election processes.
“However, I had been carefully monitoring the election rhetoric that is being put forward by SPLM-IG since last year, but I realized they are not serious about conducting election this year and signs are all there for everyone to see,” he said.
The APC leader expressed concerns over the delays in the election timetable, saying the peace parties have not fully implemented the roadmap as planned.
In August 2022, however, the South Sudanese parties to the September 2018 peace agreement signed a roadmap extending the transitional period for 24 months, citing the failure to complete critical benchmarks on the agreed time.
According to Dengbil, APC is part of the Coalition of Opposition Parties (COOP), a grand alliance of political parties made up of several opposition entities, including People’s United Forum (PUF), People’s Progressive Party (PPP), African People’s Congress (APC), Common Peoples Alliance (CPA), Democratic Party (DP), Veterans Union Party (VUP), Christian Union Party (CUP), National Unity Alliance (NUA), Action Democratic Party (ADP) and the Federal Democratic Party (FDP).
He described the ruling SPLM as a “failed” party, citing its reluctance to disarm citizens.
Also blamed on the SPLM are the rampant communal conflicts and violence.
“It has failed to uphold the rule of law and good governance practices and this has had a direct contribution to rampant corruption, misuse of public funds and abuse of power. The SPLM has failed to invest in infrastructure and social services (schools and hospitals); until today, national schools where top SPLM cadres studied are not renovated, expanded and extended to other states,” he said.
The APC leader said South Sudan requires a visionary person to move it forward.
