Juffa still governor, court orders

 THE Waigani National Court has ordered that Gary Juffa is the legitimate elected MP for Northern and is the Governor and chairman of the provincial assembly. 

Justice Ambeng Kandakasi, who issued the order last Thursday, declared that the purported meeting of the Oro Provincial Assembly convened by Ijivitari MP David Arore and others on Oct 28 last year was invalid. 

Kandakasi declared the purported swearing in of Arore as a member of the provincial assembly on Sept 30 was invalid. 

A copy of the court’s order obtained by The National states: “A declaration that the question of the swearing in of the first defendant (Arore) to become a member of the Oro Provincial Assembly be the first order of business for the next immediate meeting of the provincial assembly, which shall be convened no later than the end of March 2015.”  The court declared that Evertius Bori was the deputy governor and deputy chairman of the provincial assembly. It declared General Robert Dademo (retired) as the acting provincial administrator. 

The case related to an incident where a group of disgruntled people, including seven local level government presidents, stormed into the locked provincial assembly meeting house and elected Arore to replace Juffa on Oct 28 last year. 

Eleven people were named as de­fendants in the matter, including Arore, Sohe MP Delilah Gore and former Northern administrator,  Owen Awaita.

In a statement, Juffa welcomed the court’s decision, saying he was relieved the case was finally over. 

“We need to concentrate on service delivery rather than fighting for positions,”he said.