The announcement was made public yesterday by the SPLM deputy chairperson Riak Machar in Khartoum after the SPLM Political Bureau met in Juba.
One man who did not want to reveal his name said Mr. Arman cannot vote in the referendum and for that reason he had a different agenda for the South.
Other two citizens voiced their disappointment now that their candidate had quitted from the presidential race.
The SPLM blamed the continuing conflict in the Darfur region and electoral irregularities for Mr. Arman’s withdrawal.