The Legislative Assembly of Western Bahr al Ghazal State has refused to back down from a decision to impeach the state finance minister, a measure that the governor called on them to retract, threatening to stop the work of the assembly.

In late February the lawmakers impeached Finance Minister Lillian Valentino Rizik after she failed to answer a summons to appear before the assembly, citing medical reasons.

The state government headed by Governor Rizik Zachariah Hassan initially reacted to the vote by calling it ‘unilateral’ as well as procedurally questionable, according to the state information minister, who was himself later summoned by the legislature to explain why state-run Radio Wau did not air news of the assembly’s decision.

On 7 March, after a visit to the state by the national cabinet affairs minister, the governor declared that the impeached official would continue with her duties as normal.

Appearing before the legislature on Thursday at the 50th sitting of the current legislative session, the governor called on the lawmakers to reverse their decision withdrawing confidence from the ousted finance minister.

Rizig in his speech to the assembly explained that the national committee sent by the country’s president and headed by Minister Martin Elia Lomuro had recommended the minister return to work.

Lomuro argued that the state assembly did not follow the right procedure to vote out the minister and called for both parties in the state to sit and discuss their differences in a peaceful manner.

Emphasizing likewise the illegitimacy of the impeachment vote, the governor in his latest speech also threatened to use his executive powers to stop the work of the assembly should they not reverse their decision.

In response, the head of the Western Bahr al Ghazal Legislative Assembly MP Andrea Mayar declared that the assembly has made its decision.

The lawmaker added the recommendation of the national minister was unacceptable, emphasizing, “Mr. Governor, we refuse, full stop.”

In another development, there were demonstrations in Wau on both Wednesday and Friday, directed against the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

File photo: Western Bahr Al Ghazal Governor Rizig Hassan, December 2012 (Radio Tamazuj/Courtesy Photo)