By Charles K Mark
Over 370 members from the NPC and SPLM IO opposition political camps have joined SPLM party.
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party office in Central Equatoria disclosed on Friday.
Welcoming the defector, Central Equatoria State governor, Emmanuel Adil Anthony said the team headed by Victor Elias Eliabas have been pursed for three years.
“I am calling up all our youth who are still out there to come. SPLM-IO neglected us. But see, now we are here sharing cake with even the governor on the same table,” the team leader of the returnees said.
Elias said he rejoined with 50 people from Western Equatoria State to the mother SPLM party.
Meanwhile, Adil Anthony advised the former defectors to feel at home, urging them to join in the election’s rally.
“Want us to join hands in welcoming the members from NPC and some of them from SPLM IO? Please welcome them to the system,” he said.
“We had 8 lines of approximately 40 individuals each. This gives 320 people. We had an additional number of around 50 people, making a total of 370 new SPLM members from SPLM-IO. Among them, 52 are from Western Equatoria State under Cde Victor, while the rest are former IOs in CES mobilized under Cde Francis Dabe,” the CES SPLM secretariat noted.
This new political defection comes at a time when Central Equatoria State is also in preparation to host the greater Equatoria SPLM rally to endorse President Salva Kiir Mayardit as the sole candidate to stand for president in the December polls.