Petitioners have called on SODELPA to invite “current office bearers” to resign effective from the date of a special general meeting to be organised.

They want the party to call for nominations and fresh elections for new office bearers calling the recent Savusavu election unconstitutional.

The demands are among new details that emerged yesterday about a petition sent to party president Ro Filipe Tuisawau, former acting president Anare Jale, party leader/parliamentary leader Sitiveni Rabuka and general secretary and vice-president Adi Litia Qionibaravi.

Suva Constituency president Watisoni Nata signed the covering letter.

Questions emailed to Ro Filipe and Adi Litia on Thursday and yesterday remained unanswered when this edition went to press last night.

The petitioners expressed their “grave concern on the constitutional breaches leading up to the annual general meeting of the General Assembly (AGM) 2019 and the breaches of the SODELPA Constitution during the general meeting on June 28, 2019.”

The four breaches they claimed were:

• Section 12.5 on motions
• Section 12.9 on decision-making by the General Assembly
• Section 18.1 on the party president
• Section 18.2 on the three vice-presidents

The issues, they claimed, questioned the “entire integrity of the voting and election system that just took place at our AGM”.

The petitioners called on the party to convene a Special General Meeting (SGM) and:

• Invite motion and call for motions to be tabled
• Invite current office bearers to resign effective on the date of the SGM
• Call for new nominations & election of office bearers
• Given that the position of general secretary is advertised, the petitioners suggest that the party recruits someone who is competent, efficient and more importantly understands the party constitution as this safeguards and protects the party. If this is impossible the party can always seek assistance from the Registrar of Political Parties to conduct our voting process.

The petitioners have warned officials that if they fail to respond within seven days, they “are compelled to seek legal redress in court.”

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