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By ANDRERW ALPHONSE in Mendi
AN unsuccessful candidate for the Koroba
Lake-Kopiago Open seat in the Southern Highlands province is pursing
legal action to void the election of MP elect John Kekeno.
Catholic priest and People’s Party candidate Fr Mathias Olape, who was
the runner up, has written to the PNG Electoral Commissioner Andrew
Trawen to declare Mr Kekeno’s declaration as null and void and order a
re-count of the votes in the last five eliminations.
In his letter dated July30 to Mr Trawen with copies to provincial
elections manager David Wakias and returning officer Danny Hongai, Fr
Olape alleged foul play and questionable activities in the counting
centre at Momei Oval in Mendi on the night of July 28.
Mr Olape said the final tally of the count with five candidates
remaining were himself leading with 10,674 votes, Mr Kekeno on 10,617
votes, Herowa Agiwa on 7,876 votes, Ben Peri on 7,442 votes and Petrus
Thomas on 6,642.
Mr Olape said that was the last final tally and figures the public heard
that evening after being shocked and surprised when Mr Hongai declared
Mr Kekeno winner the next day without even giving the progressive
figures in the lead up to the final elimination.
He claimed the actions of the counting officials could not go
unchallenged as he claimed foul-play in the lead up to the declaration.
Fr Olape also claimed that all the other electorates in the province
announced how the winning candidates mustered figures in the final
elimination before making declarations while Koroba Lake-Kopiago
suspiciously failed to do so.
Mr Olape has collected affidavits of counting officials and said he
would take the matter up in the Court of Disputed Returns.
Mr Hongai and Kekeno could not be reached for comments.
 
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