Olga tells Wingti to meet him in 2012

WESTERN Highlands Governor Tom Olga has challenged former prime minister Paias Wingti to leave the courtroom and contest him in the 2012 national election.
“In the three years as governor, I have had to undergo one election and two court-ordered recounts to determine who is the legitimate governor.
“All the court cases and the recounts of ballots still showed that I had the majority and I am the duly declared winner.
“For some reason, the three-term prime minister and two-term governor is still not satisfied with this. And now, he has filed a motion to contest the Supreme Court’s decision that declared me the duly elected governor,” he said in a press conference yesterday.
Mr Olga said the election petition filed by Mr Wingti after the 2007 election was based on grounds that there was foulplay involving the police and army to ensure his win.
The trial judge of that case found no hard evidence of this allegation but was said to have had reasonable suspicions.
“I have considered this to be unfair to me and the people of Western Highlands. I then filed for a review last year and was successful.
“A final recount found me to be still the winner after getting 1,588 more votes to win,” he said.
Mr Olga said the reason he was hosting the press conference was to get straight to the point to challenge Mr Wingti to give up and wait for the 2012 election.
“My three years were not spent in doing much in providing any sort of leadership, guidance or service delivery to my people but in courtrooms.”