NBGS: General Dau takes elections results to court

By Ngor Arol Garang

April 25, 2010 (WUNROK) — General Dau Aturjong Nyuol, who contested the recently concluded polls in the southern state of northern Bahr el Ghazal, for gubernatorial post, against SPLM nominee, General Paul Malong Awan Anei, broke his silence saying he will never recognize the outcome of the elections announced yesterday and equally promised to take these results to court without delay.

The General who had initially sought to contest elections as SPLM official nominee, turned independent after failing to secure endorsement of the Political Bureau with initial 79% popularity rate given to him by State Electoral College amid accusations that the later has rigged nomination in favor of General Malong Awan.

He however traveled to Juba to present his complaint to the leadership of the ruling party which hotly discussed discrepancies in his selection by the state Electoral College.

In Juba, he was given 12 votes within political bureau while the then incumbent governor Malong now announced elected governor got only 10 votes in the first round of voting by members without concession of the chairman of the council, Salva Kiir Mayardit, who later on in the second round of voting endorsed nomination of General Malong by the virtue of being chairman of the party.

This endorsement of General Malong by political bureau sparked resentments amongst intellectuals and citizenry of Northern Bahr el Ghazal hence prompted a call for community meeting with intellectuals from the area in Juba and beyond to dissuade General Dau who equally and instantly declined to concede making him go to the poll as independent candidate for gubernatorial post amongst other candidates contesting parliamentary seats.

His decision to run independently raised lots of controversies including allegations that he colluded with the SPLM breakaway faction of former foreign affairs Minister, Dr. Lam Akol but denied the charge saying he had no intention to join any other political party.

The general who throughout campaign period drew lots of supports from the citizens of Northern Bahr el Ghazal including Home County to incumbent governor Malong, Aweil East, remained popular till he entered the poll with supports which saw massive voting for him in the three counties of Aweil North, West and South counties as his strongholds.

He led preliminary results in all polling stations of the three counties including Aweil town, capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal. However, his rival General Malong picked up after extension of the poll for two days following formal complaints against delays, confusions and misplacement of eligible voter names on voter registries by national elections.

These days saw myriads of reports and accusations of threats, physical abuse, harassment; expulsion and arrest of the agents representing political contenders and members of the national election commission accused to have guided illiterates in favor of some of the political parties.

With the announcement of the results in favor of General Malong yesterday on Sunday 24, at three o’clock by national elections commission, General Dau in Juba vowed no recognition saying figures have suddenly changed after inflation. “Results from all polling stations showed that I have been ahead all candidates including Malong by huge difference,” Dau said.

The announcement made by the National Elections Commission on Saturday 23,gave Governor Malong Awan Anei 162,209 while General Dau was given 84,452 votes. Two candidates from other political parties in the name of Commander Kawac Makuei Kawac from South Sudan United Democratic Front and Joseph Ajuong from the National Congress Party got respectively 9854 and 3228 votes

Surprised by the results, General Dau who talked to Sudan Tribune from Juba said, he was ever leading his rivals 17000 votes until Saturday 23, April 2010 and that he was assured of landslide victory by all. “What happened that the widely known results have suddenly changed as if other fresh elections were conducted in the night of Saturday,” he asked. Urging his supporters to remain calm and swallow their bitterness, he said he will follow it with Sudanese courts to return his victory.

“I will take these results to the court so that judges can judge what happened to elections that I was assured to have won by huge margins not violence,” he said adding he trusts Sudanese judicial system to handle his case without using violence as way to demand right.

“Violence is long gone with war. When we signed CPA, we concluded it with cessation of hostilities and replaced war mentalities of killings with new skills of negotiations, Dau said; congratulating citizens of Northern Bahr el Ghazal for voting in favoring of candidates of their choice during voting process.

(ST)