By Yang Ater Yang
Gabriel Madol Ayuom, the suspended Chairperson of Yirol East County, Wrestling Association, resigned just hours after Lakes State Minister for Youth, Culture, and Sport, William Koji Kerjok, ordered his suspension.
Madol’s suspension came on the heels of his controversial decision to remove William Mayor Bok from his position as chairperson of the Yirol East Wrestling Association on September 17.
In an apparent demonstration of authority, Minister Koji reinstated Mayor and suspended Madol.
On Wednesday, September 18, Madol publicly expressed his embarrassment over the minister’s actions.
“If we are working according to the constitution, he should not reinstate the person I removed. This is humiliation before the public,” he stated. “He should have called and investigated why I made that decision, as I was not acting contrary to our wrestling policies in the state.”
Minister Koji confirmed Madol’s resignation when contacted but downplayed its significance.
“The resignation of the chairperson is normal and doesn’t require extensive discussion,” he remarked. “It is an administrative issue; there is nothing unusual about it.”
The underlying reasons for the tensions between the Yirol East County Wrestling Association and the minister’s intervention remain unclear.
Speculation has arisen following last month’s wrestling match, where Akol Agok, a prominent wrestler from Bor County in Jonglei State, defeated Majok Siko from Yirol East.