‘Juffa election illegal and invalid’

DISGRUNTLED club members of Gomis Rugby Field League claimed that Patrick Yanis was not the president of Gomis RFL and his nomination of Garry Juffa as chairman of PNGRFL was illegal and invalid.
The club members from nine clubs that make up the Gomis RFL said they had no president in place since the departure of former president James Yak late last year.
They were speaking in response to an article which appeared in The National yesterday that Juffa and Bryan Kramer had been re-elected to head the PNGRFL at a special annual general meeting (AGM) in Lae last Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by 22 affiliates and Yanis had nominated Juffa as chairman, supported by Popondetta RFL and Rigo RFL, who moved the motion.
South’s RFLC president Ambe Ipape told The National that Yanis was not Gomis RFL president or a club member and they were surprised to see and hear it through the media.
Ipape said Yanis was a relative of the former president James Yak and when Yak, went away, Yanis claimed himself the president and went for the meeting.
“We, the nine clubs of Gomis league, would like to make it clear that we never voted or took part. We stood and watched,” he said.
He said they hardly believed that an AGM had taken place last week as they had been preparing to elect a new president for Gomis RFL and its board this week.
He said when a new president was in place, they would be looking forward to attending the PNGRFL AGM set for Jan 31.
Ipape said that Gomis RFL affiliates were not happy on how they conducted the special AGM in Lae and condemned it.
Meanwhile, Rigo Rugby League president Gwaibo Mairi made himself clear that he did not move the motion for the election of the new chairman for PNG Rugby Football League in Lae.
He questioned the legality of the meeting and the election that was conducted by the 22 presidents of the affiliated leagues throughout PNG.
Mairi said he had abstained from taking part in the elections and was misreported by The National as the man who moved the motion for the elections.
He claimed he attended the meeting because his travelling expenses were met by the faction that hosted the meeting.
Mairi said he was cautious as the matter was currently before court and it would cause confusion for the members of the affiliated leagues in PNG to take matters into their own hands.