Warrap Traditional leadership elections disputed in Gogrial West

JUBA, 15 December 2014 - Sources in Warrap's Gogrial West
County have reported that elections held on December 9 for traditional
authority leadership in Wunkueldit Boma were disputed with some
community members accusing the area's legislator of not accepting the
defeat of his brother who has contested the post.
George Garang Atomdit, the secretary for electoral committee said
elections were conducted last week for the position of Boma executive
chief which was contested by two candidates; Akec Mayar Ariec and Wek
Deng Ariec.
The committee has announced Wek Deng Ariec the winner after scoring
about 2, 622 votes defeating Akec Mayar Ariec who only gained votes
that do not exceed 30, according to Garang, the electoral committee
secretary.
Nevertheless, Garang accused Warrap's lawmaker, Hon. Ariec Mayar Ariec
of disputing the results and that the legislator now mobilizes and
lobbies the community to stand against the election and calls for the
renewal of the exercise in order to see his brother (Akec Mayar Ariec)
succeeding in the second trial of ballot vote.
Garang added that the legislator is politicizing the local traditional
leadership and trying to cause violence among the peaceful community
of Kuac South Payam, therefore asking for the removal of Hon. Ariec
from the state legislative assembly.
"Hon. Ariec Mayar is involved in politics of traditional leadership.
He only wants to see his brother announced as the executive chief;
failure to do that, he refuses to accept the landslide victory against
his brother. Now he wants to incite violence in the community;
dividing up people to cause chaos in the area and he is bribing some
community members," Garang accused.
"We want to remove him. If the government says that we don't have the
right to withdraw our trust and remove Ariec; our question is: Does
Ariec have the right to incite violence in the community because his
brother was not elected?" he asked.
He said during the Tuesday's election Ariec ordered his brother to
leave the election ground after seeing long queue lining up behind Wek
Deng and only few and himself standing behind Akec Mayar.
However, the accused lawmaker - Hon. Ariec blamed the winner of
mobilizing citizens of different Boma to come and vote for him in
Wunkueldit when elections were meant only for that particular Boma,
not the entire Kuac South Payam.
"Wek Deng has brought people from Warkou Boma to vote for him in
Wunkueldit. That was not correct. Moreover, everything was made wrong
by Sultan Matiop Akot Ngong of Warkou Boma who announced Wek, a winner
before the counting was over," the legislator said.
Ariec said it was his constitutional right to vote and that he is now
working for peaceful resolution of the matter with the Gogrial West
County local government.
"The two contestants are members of one family Ariecdit Wol and I
cannot cause violence among my own family. Those who are doing all
that allegations are my political opponents. They just want to get
that chance and use it to call for my removal in the parliament so
that they are appointed as replacement," said Hon. Ariec.
Wek Deng Ariec has been an executive chief of Wunkueldit for the last
16 years until 2013 when he was dismissed and detained by Warrap
Government upon accusation that he was conducting illegal military
training within the neighbouring Western Bahr el Ghazal State.
Sultan Wek upon his arrival from his detention in Juba asked the local
government to conduct election as he expressed his interest to run the
Boma leadership which was then given to Akec Mayar during his one
year's detention.