The deposed executive body of the South Sudan National Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (NCCIA) has insisted that it is the authentic authority in the institution.
The body called on its members nationwide, the government, and the public to disregard the move by some disgruntled members to remove them from the office.
The NCCIA leaders told the press on Wednesday that their ouster would amount to a criminal offence and those who perpetrated it are ‘‘rebels’’.
According to the NCCIA Chairperson, Ladu Lukak, his removal and a subsequent declaration of a certain group as the interim body of the chamber was unconstitutional and should be disregarded.
“The Chamber is hereby informing its members, government institutions, non-governmental organisations, diplomatic missions, and all the states and county governments of the illegal activities of these disgruntled groups, who unconstitutionally declared themselves as caretakers chairperson and secretary-general of Chamber of Commerce,” said Lukak.
On October 24, a group led by former Deputy Secretary-General of NCCIA Dut Dut Yel and Jallal Abdalla Doka deposed Lukak and Simon Makuei Deng, the Chairperson and Secretary-General of the Chamber respectively.
Mr Dut and Abdallah also dissolved the entire executive body of the chamber and promised to hand over the office when the new executive body is elected in 2023.
They accused the leadership of Lukak of holding on to power since 2017. They said the leadership has shown incompetence and failure to address the rights of the private sectors in the country.
But, Lukak countered the accusations saying the current NCCIA general assembly, comprising 125 members, was not involved in the dissidence as well as using rightful procedures of coming to the power.
He said the chamber sacked Dut over malpractices, disrespect and illegal activities which the NCCIA administration deemed detrimental to the institution, prompting him to rebel.
“The public is therefore informed that Dut’s services with the National Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture were terminated because of his activities which could tarnish the image of the institution so we decided to remove him, and he was not the elected member of the executive.
“If [Dut] wants to come to the power, let him use the rightful procedures. He should not rebel. Let the public know that we are still the authentic authority of [National Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture] we have not gripped the office. We came by-election and we shall be removed by-election,” Lukak said.