SSPM dismisses SSOA claims, reaffirms Gen. Abdelbagi as legitimate chairman

JUBA – The South Sudan Patriotic Movement (SSPM) has rejected claims questioning the legitimacy of its leadership, insisting that Gen. Hussein Abdelbagi Akol remains the party’s lawful chairman amid a growing dispute within the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

In a statement issued on January 6, 2026, SSPM dismissed a declaration released in the name of the SSOA leadership, describing it as misleading and lacking legal or institutional authority. The party said the statement falsely challenged Abdelbagi’s eligibility to represent SSPM within the alliance.

According to the opposition party, Abdelbagi was confirmed as chairman by the party’s National Leadership Council (NLC) during an extraordinary meeting held with full quorum, saying the council acted within its constitutional mandate and emphasised that the decision is final and binding.

The party further disclosed that the same meeting withdrew confidence from the former chairman, Dr Castello Garang Ring, citing provisions of SSPM’s 2022 constitution, stressing that it is an independent political organization whose internal decisions cannot be overturned through media statements or external political pressure.

SSPM also condemned what it described as exclusionary and defamatory language used in the contested SSOA statement, warning that such rhetoric risks undermining political tolerance and stability.

However, figures within the SSOA, including those aligned with Josephine Joseph Lagu, have argued that leadership changes within member parties must comply with alliance rules. They maintain that any leader representing a party in the alliance must meet agreed eligibility criteria and receive recognition from the SSOA’s collective leadership structures.

While SSPM did not directly address the specific eligibility requirements raised by its critics, it maintained that membership in the alliance does not supersede the internal constitutional authority of individual political parties.

Despite the disagreement, SSPM reaffirmed its commitment to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and said it supports a peaceful democratic transition through free, fair, and credible elections.

The dispute follows recent leadership changes within SSPM that later spilled into the SSOA, a coalition of opposition parties formed under the 2018 peace agreement.

It is also a reflection of deep-seated disagreements over leadership recognition, representation, and authority, threatening to weaken opposition unity ahead of South Sudan’s planned elections in December this year.