The Secretary-General of the Democratic Change party says the party has disintegrated after a dispute over who should replace the former chairman, Dr Lam Akol.

Dr Lam led the party since its formation in 2009, until he resigned in August.

The secretary-general, Deng Bior, says the acting chairman called for a meeting over the weekend to decide the interim leadership of the party.

The participants endorsed Mr Mark Atem Awol as the new acting chairperson.

But Mr Bior, who considers his group as the mainstream DC, says a group led by the former leader of the minority in the national parliament, Onyoti Adigo, held a separate meeting in which they announced a new leadership.

“If the first deputy chairperson has defected from the party and resigned and then made a ruling that Onyoti take over, that was illegal and we consider them as defectors,” he told Eye Radio.

“Both Onyoti and the former deputy chairperson [Donald Gideon Azamuna] have defected from the party because they are not following the party rules.

“A National Delegates’ Congress, which is the convention to elect the chairman, has to be held because this is the law; this is the [party’s] constitution.”

When contacted by Eye Radio, Onyoti Adigo confirmed that he was elected in a separate meeting as the chairperson.

Mr Onyoti said he followed the right procedures to become the party leader.

“There’s nothing called mainstream [DC]. This is rubbish. What we have is Democratic Change Part, under the leadership, my leadership now,” Mr Adigo stated.

“If they want to continue with me, they’re more than welcomed; and I will be seeking to dialogue with them.”

The SPLM-DC split from the SPLM in 2009. After the general elections in 2010, the DC won four seats in parliament, becoming the only opposition party.