Peter Mayen of OPP speaks at an event in Juba in 2018 | Credit | Eye Radio

The Other Political Parties is yet again engulfed in a wrangle over which side of the coalition should nominate a candidate for the post of deputy governors as part of its share in the revitalized peace agreement.

Some officials in the party are blaming one of its members for the delay in appointing the remaining three state deputy governors.

This after the President, last week, appointed six SPLM and SPLM-IO nominees, leaving out positions allocated to the Other Political Parties, OPP.

The Presidential Advisor on Security told the media that the OPP are yet to finalize on their nominees, a statement disputed by some members of the OPP.

“We are really wondering why is it being said that the OPP has not yet agreed on their nominees for the Deputy Governors,” a section of the OPP said. “OPP has already nominated and submitted three names…since 18th October last year.”

Six groups signed the agreement under the Other Political Parties.

The agreement obligates all of them to consult among themselves and come up with a list of nominees for the positions of state deputy governors for Central Equatoria, Warrap, and Northern Bar El Gazal states.

“On 27th November, we also submitted a comprehensive list to the Office of the President for all the various positions in the states including the national legislature–TNLA and the Council of States,” said the acting spokesperson of the OPP, Albino Akol.

Mr. Akol accused Peter Mayen Majongdit of reportedly going contrary to the agreement by submitting his list of nominees to the Office of the President -without consulting other members.

“We were surprised by a call from Tut Gatluak the Presidential Adviser on Security that he needs all OPP for a meeting.”

“When the leaders of OPP went there, they were informed that their brother Peter Mayen has submitted a different list from what the leaders of OPP had submitted,” Akol narrated.

Peter Mayen who is also the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management admitted to submitting the list.

He claimed that he reserved the right to submit nominees -as the leader of the OPP.

“It’s me who signed the agreement on behalf of the OPP and it is me who negotiated the power on behalf of the OPP and it is me to make sure that all the OPP are part and parcel of this government either at the state level, at the national level and the county level,” Mr. Mayen asserted.

“So all these encompasses under the leadership of the OPP.”

In a decree issued on December 30, President Salva Kiir named the deputy governors for Jonglei, Lakes, Unity, Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

Kiir did not, however, appoint deputy governors for Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap and Central Equatoria states -positions reserved for the OPP.

The Other Political Parties is a coalition of at least six political groups which are all signatories to the revitalized peace agreement.

It is not clear what formula the parties under the coalition adopted in sharing power and resources.

The revitalized peace deal considers them as a bloc and not separate entities.