Olony recommends Duer Tut for Upper Nile governor, Machar rejects

 JUBA – South Sudan’s main armed opposition group nominee for Upper Nile state, General Johnson Olony Thabo, has reportedly accepted to step down from the race for governorship but has made a condition that former SPLM-IO governor of Sobat state is nominated instead of him.

Olony was nominated by Machar in June for the governor of Upper Nile state, but President Salva Kiir rejected him saying he was a “warmonger” who should be appointed into the governorship of the diverse and oil-rich state.

Speaking to Sudans Post this evening, a source inside Agwelek said from the Sudanese capital Khartoum that Olony had wrote to SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny who is also the South Sudan First Vice President accepting to step aside for the sake of peace.

The source however said Olony accepted to step down under the condition that Duer Tut Duer is nominated in his place, or else things may not be right.

“General Johnson Olony has written a letter to the Chairman of the SPLM-IO Dr. Riek Machar Teny. He has accepted to step down from the governorship race, but has nominated someone,” the official said from Khartoum.

“This person is Honorable Duer Tut Duer, the former Governor of Sobat state. He is the recommendation of General Olony now and Dr. Riek Machar Teny should accept him,” the official added.

Another official close to Dr. Riek said from Juba that the “request by Gen. Olony is not realistic. He shouldn’t nominate anyone he wants. He was nominated by the chairman and the commander in chief because he was trusted and so he should not nominate as if he is the chairman.”

“So, Dr. Machar has rejected the nomination of the so-called Duer Tut Duer.”