The election of a new Lango Paramount Chief is once again hanging in balance following the recent suspension of the electoral commission by the outgoing cultural leader, Yosam Odur Ebii.

The decision by Odur to suspend the Electoral Commission headed by Tom Otim has since sparked controversies and threatened the unification of two rival factions: the Lango Cultural Foundation headed by Odur and the Tekwaro Lango Institution headed by Eng. Dr. Michael Moses Odongo Okune.

Dickens Kennedy Odongo, the LCV of Alebtong district and also the chairperson of all the LCV chiefs within the Lango sub-region, has cautioned that the recent stalemate could jeopardize the unity between the two factions.

Odongo further warned the group against rushing electoral processes, saying it risks legal implications once all the steps are not adhered to.

In a document jointly signed by all the LCV chairpersons in Lango, the district leaders insist that the election of a new Paramount Chief can only take place once the current has formally relinquished office.

“There is no need to organize elections when the current Paramount Chief, Yosam Odur Ebii, has not abdicated the office. He must abdicate his office for Minister of Gender, Labour, and Social Development to first de-gazette him before sanctioning another election,” Odongo said.

Recently, a faction of clan heads elected Willy Omodo Omodo from the Tekwaro Lango faction as the interim speaker of the united group after the main speaker, Benson Dila, skipped the meeting to discuss the election of the new paramount chief.

According to Odongo, the move to elect a new cultural speaker was illegal since the incumbent speaker, Dila had not resigned from office.

Last year, Odur, who is currently hospitalized in Mulago National Referral Hospital, wrote to the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, informing the government about his decision to retire from office as the Paramount Chief of Lango.