In a statement signed by the General Secretary of the UNC, Billy Kambale, the party had denounced these candidacies and promised to block them. Didier Kamerhe is the national permanent secretary in charge of urban development for the UNC. His running mate was Georges Musongela, a former provincial deputy and national deputy candidate on the same list as Vital Kamerhe for the December 2023 elections.

"The UNC denounces and condemns this disloyal behavior of this high-ranking party official and urges him to immediately withdraw his candidacy, failing which the party will use all legal means to annihilate said candidacy and severely punish its author. This serves as a warning to other officials who might follow the same path," the document stated.

This decision by the CENI reduces the number of candidacies for the governorship of South Kivu province from 25 to 23. Among the retained candidacies, there is the AFDC-A ticket and two other independents from the same party, also the official ticket from the UNC, and other independents. There are a total of two women and 21 men. On his part, Jean-Marie Bamporiki is a UNC official and former national deputy. He is also the chief of staff for the State Minister of Budget, Aimé Boji.

Gisèle Mbuyi