Warrap state

A motion to amend the constitution and extend the term of office for the Warrap State governor has caused dispute in the state assembly.

The motion seeks to extend the term of the governor and the mandate of the state assembly for another three years.

The state parliament is discussing the bill today, but some MPs have protested the move and are calling on Governor Nyandeng Malek to leave office.

Our correspondent, Santino Manut, was at the state assembly this morning.

“What happened is extraordinary. Police has been deployed around the assembly. I am here some few meters from the assembly. I can also see a number of the SPLM members standing with posters that indicate or with writing that they do not want the extension of the term of the governor,” our correspondent in Wau, Santino Manut, described the scenario during the sitting this morning.

Most of the MPs in the assembly are from the SPLM party.

But the party secretary in the state, Makuc Makuc, says they were not notified of the amendment.

State Governor Nyandeng Malek says there should be no dispute over the bill.

She told Eye Radio that the amendment is in line with that of the national transitional constitution, which extended the term of office of the president and the mandate of the national assembly for three years.

“We are doing the very same amendment of the constitution. So I call back my assembly to come and pass this bill of extending the terms of Legislative Assembly and the governor’s office. So it is today that they are sitting to discuss. They have been discussing it,” she said.

“You have a few MPs about six or seven of them who are always opposing my government. So they have been posting and confusing people really. They are not differentiating between the person as me and the amendment of the constitution.”

A few state assemblies have amended their constitutions and extended their mandates and the term of office for their governors.

These include Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile and Northern Bhar al-Ghazal.