VP Taban denies threatening to rejoin Machar over refusal by Kiir to fire Governor Manytuil

JUBA — The office of South Sudan’s Vice President for Infrastructure Cluster Taban Deng Gai on Sunday denied claims that he has threatened to rejoin the main armed opposition SPLM-IO led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny.

Speculations circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp groups claimed that Taban made the threats during an alleged meeting with elders of Unity State where he allegedly expressed strong disapproval of refusal by President Kiir to fire the governor of Unity State after he was asked to do so by the Council of States.

But when contacted by Sudans Post this morning, Stephen William Wichar, deputy press secretary in the office of Vice-President Taban denied the allegations and said the senior government official has not commented on the calls for removal of Governor Manytuil saying it is a only prerogative of the president.

“[It is] not true. Gen. Taban has not commented on the issue of removal of the Governor of Unity State and will not,” Wichar told Sudans Post from the capital Juba on phone.

He said Vice-President Taban’s continued silence over the matter is “because it is President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s power to appoint or remove any of his officials as provided for in the transitional constitution and the revitalized peace agreement.”

Earlier last week, the Council of States passed a vote of no-confidence against the governor of Unity State and then wrote to the president asking him to remove the defiant governor.

The ruling SPLM party secretariat in Bentiu issued a statement and condemned the decision of the Council of States and accused Vice-President Taban’s SPLM faction and that of First Vice President Machar “who caused conflicts in 2013 and 2016” of working to cause another war.

President Kiir’s office responded to the Council’s decision by saying that the august house has got no powers to impeach governors and as such acted “ultra vires”.