Governor cries foul over PM visit

The Oro Governor Garry Juffa calls the” snub’’ by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill during his recent visit to the Northern Province as childish.

In a media briefing this afternoon (3rd November), Governor Juffa said that the provincial government was not told of the Prime Minister’s visit and was surprised when they saw his helicopter land on Saturday (31st October).

Juffa says that they were never informed of the PM’s visit which bypassed normal protocol to notify him as the governor of the province so that common courtesy would have been accorded to the PM.

He alleges that the authorities had no idea about the hospital that was to be opened as part of the PM’s visit in Sohe, as the Open member Delilah Gore does not communicate with them.

A frustrated Juffa told reporters that Gore had been circumnavigating the provincial government procedures and processes in how she delivers her projects, a reason Juffa claims is why “there are no completed projects in Sohe’’.

Meantime, Governor Juffa also questions the Prime Minister for campaigning for his candidate according to an article in one of the dailies today (Tuesday 3rd November) stating that the PM was there to support David Arore.

Juffa questions the funds used to fly Mr O’Neill and his entourage including the media team into the province to campaign for his Member.

He says that it is unbecoming for the Prime Minister to endorse a candidate who was ousted for bribery, a criminal offence for which he had yet to be arrested and charged.

Another point which was raised was the false statement according to the media report made by the PM alluding in Ijivitari that there was a highway being built there by the ousted member, but had to stop due to him being taken out of office.

Juffa says that this is not the case, adding that work had stopped due to lack of funding.

The Governor has called on the Prime Minister to come forward and answer all these queries that he has raised.

Author: 
Julianna Waeda