Makuei says planned Upper Nile conference ‘will decide’ who will be governor

JUBA – South Sudan’s information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, is saying that the planned conference of the country’s oil-rich Upper Nile state communities in Juba will decide if SPLM-IO gubernatorial nominee, General Johnson Olony, will be confirmed for governorship, but said it would be up to the communities there to decide the eventual outcome.

General Olony was nominated by the SPLM-IO in June for governorship of the SPLM-IO, but was not appointed by President Salva Kiir when he announced the governors later that month saying the opposition commander is a warmonger who he said will hamper reconciliation efforts between the bitter Upper Nile state communities.

On Wednesday, in a meeting at the presidency, President Kiir and his first deputy Dr. Riek Machar Teny, decided to go ahead with the formation of nine state and local governments with the exception of Upper Nile state and decided to call for a general conference of the Upper Nile state communities in Juba to purposely solve any misunderstanding between them leading up to Olony’s appointment.

The SPLM-IO said in a statement to Sudans Post yesterday that the main armed opposition group remains with General Johnson Olony Thabo as its preferred nominee, and vow that it will not accept to change at any circumstances.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Friday evening, information minister and government spokesman, Michael Makuei, said the conference is meant to deliberate on Olony saying if the communities of Upper Nile state agree to have him as his governor, Kiir will take action appointing to the top state position, but said it was still very if the people of Upper Nile accept him.

“The people of Upper Nile state cannot be dictated,” Makuei said.

“When the conference is conducted, they will decide and tell us if they like Olony or not. But the ultimate decision maker are the people of Upper Nile state, if they said yes to Olony, the President Salva has no any objection, but the truth is we can’t foretell the outcome,” Makuei added.