The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) primaries in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) have been marred by allegations of interference, violence, and irregularities. Candidates have called for the process to follow party rules. Gola Boyoi Gola, an aspiring Chief Administrator candidate, responded to allegations made by the office of SPLM Deputy Secretary-General for Administration and Finance Baba Midan Konyi.
Gola denied allegations that documents had been forged in Lekuangole to facilitate voting in his favour. He said the primaries in question were intended to select county SPLM chairpersons, not the area party chairperson. Gola accused Baba Midan of attempting to influence the electoral committee in favour of his preferred candidate, Hakim Ngandoyo.
According to Gola, the committee rejected Baba Midan's requests, informing him that they were working in accordance with SPLM guidelines given by the National Secretariat. However, after the committee's rejection, three aircraft carrying youths from Juba arrived in Pibor to disrupt the process and target the delegation. The team travelled to Lekuangole, where armed youths were mobilised to stop the process.
The committee refused to include names that were not on the voter register, leading to violence and the suspension of the primaries in Lekuangole. Gola said the process proceeded in the other six counties. He also alleged that Baba Midan intended to suspend the primaries in GPAA and replace the current committee with another team.
A separate statement questioned plans to hold the GPAA SPLM chairperson election before primaries had been conducted in Jebel Boma and Lekuangole. The statement asked how the CA election could be held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, when Jebel Boma and Lekuangole counties had not conducted their primaries.
The statement called on President Salva Kiir to intervene and urged authorities to address the concerns before proceeding with the election. The allegations made by Gola against Baba Midan and those made in the separate statement against Boyoi have not been independently verified.
The SPLM High-Level Committee for Congresses and Primary Elections in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) announced that the election of the area's SPLM chairperson would take place on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the GPAA Youth Center in Pibor. The announcement was made by Hon. Nadia Arop, who is leading the committee overseeing the congresses and primary elections in the area.
Key points
- The SPLM primaries in Greater Pibor face allegations of interference, violence, and irregularities.
- Candidates have called for the process to follow party rules.
- The election of the GPAA SPLM chairperson is set to take place on October 29, 2026.
