“We should not cry as leaders when democracy comes,” Akol Paul tells Peter Lam Both
The Secretary-General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Akol Paul Koordit, has told former party Secretary-General Peter Lam Both to accept the outcome of internal democratic processes, saying political leaders must be prepared to either win or lose when they contest for positions.
Koordit made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists in Juba, following Lam Both’s recent accusations against the party’s Deputy Chairman, Simon Kun Pouch, and the current Secretary-General over his alleged exclusion from the selection of delegates to the SPLM National Convention.
“We should not cry as leaders when democracy comes. We should not cry. This is what it takes. Even me doing it here, that’s what it takes. You have to contest. You go in for a contest; you expect to lose or win,” Koordit said.
He defended the party’s internal democratic process, saying unsuccessful candidates should accept the outcome rather than publicly attack other party leaders.
The Secretary-General also questioned Lam Both’s inability to travel to his home area in Ulang County, Upper Nile State, despite the presence of government security forces, including the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), South Sudan Police Service (SSPS) and National Security personnel.
Koordit argued that the former Secretary-General’s difficulties in connecting with local party members were not the responsibility of the national party leadership.
He further said the individual who defeated Lam Both came from the same Boma and had received a public welcome upon arriving in the area.
“Some senior people lost and humbly conceded it. He’s not the first,” Koordit added, urging party members to take responsibility for their political contests.
The exchange follows a public complaint by Lam Both, who accused Koordit and Deputy Chairman Simon Kun Pouch of blocking his selection as a delegate to the SPLM National Convention.
Lam Both said members of the party in Ulang County had chosen him to represent them at the convention, but the party’s high-level committee rejected his nomination despite what he described as efforts to reach a compromise.
He alleged that two proposals intended to resolve the disagreement and prevent divisions among party members in the county were also rejected.
According to Lam Both, one proposal involved an arrangement for 19 delegates, while another member reportedly offered to step aside and surrender an additional delegate seat in his favour.
The former Roads and Bridges Minister described the decision as undemocratic and a personal attempt to target him, saying he would rather withdraw from the selection process than allow the disagreement to divide SPLM members in Ulang.
He also indicated that he intended to take his complaint to the party chairman, President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The latest exchange highlights growing disagreements surrounding the ruling party’s internal democratic exercise as it prepares for the December 22, 2026 general elections.
