Losing candidate claims flaws in election re-run

 THE declaration of Mark Sakai as the chairman of the Namoporo Landowner Association by electoral manager Kala Rawali is flawed, says the interim chairman John Kapi Natto.

The court had ordered the annual general election of the association be conducted by the Electoral Commission.

“The Electoral Commissioner’s counsel did address both groups, my group and Mark Sakai’s, that there will not be any meeting held that day because of the tense situation surrounding the area, so we left leaving behind my interim executives with the electoral officers for a full briefing on the matter,” Kapi Natto said of the previous meeting to resolve the matter.

“After hearing and reading in the print media, I was totally shocked of the declaration made. Mark Sakai was going into the Electoral Commission’s office and enforcing the higher authority to declare him as the chairman. This is a slap in the face for the people of NLA.”

According to the NLA counsel, there was no quorum and he also confirmed that on Rawali’s advice.

“I respected the electoral advice and upon that I had brought the matter back to court but only to find out from the print media about this declaration,” KapiNatto said.

KapiNatto said there were several issues still on ground – threat and kidnapping was evident – but I stood by the law.

“I would have done this after I had already won in the second attempt of the court ordered AGM last year but I respected the law and went back to court,” KapiNatto said.

“I am very disappointed with the Electoral Commission’s office and the  manager who authorised this declaration and I must make it clear that there were not even a quorum made according to NLA constitution.”

KapiNatto said the purported meeting by Sakai and his supporters lacked a lawful quorum and is invalid and cannot be enforced.

The NLA AGM went through a lot of court proceedings, with the court setting yet another date for the matter to be solved in Moro at the NLA office to appoint its proper executives being disrupted again by fight just before the meeting.

Both intending candidates for the NLA chairman’s post,KapiNattoand  Sakai, and the respective ILG Chairmen were advised by the Electoral Commissioner’s lawyer Kevin Kepo to bring the matter to court to find a neutral venue for a peaceful AGM.