By DALCY LULUA
The National Court has dismissed a case filed by Chuave MP James Nomane seeking recognition as the Leader of the Opposition, ruling it lacked jurisdiction to determine the matter.
The decision, delivered this morning by Justice Carey, means Kiriwina-Goodenough MP Douglas Tomuriesa remains as Opposition Leader.
Outside court, Mr Tomuriesa said the ruling showed the importance of respecting the law.
“I think today it shows that when we respect the law, things will go the way we want. Judgements will be made the way we want them to be,” he said.
He also extended the olive branch to Mr Nomane to reconcile.
“You’re a first-time MP, and you’ve shown your resilience and your fight. But it is time now to reconcile with us. If he’s got it in his heart, I appeal to him and the people of Chuave that relationships matter,” Mr Tomuriesa said.
Mr Nomane, however, rejected the outcome, saying he would appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s ruling.
“My lawyers have advised me that this decision is flawed in law. I shall therefore escalate the matter to the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement.
Mr Nomane maintained that since June 2025 he had the majority support within the Opposition to assume leadership, but was not recognised by the Speaker due to what he alleged was “political interference, collusion, and compromise.”
He said Mr Tomuriesa had “lost the mandate” and called on him to convene a caucus meeting and accept the majority decision.
“The most honorable thing Mr Tomuriesa can do is call a caucus meeting and humbly accept the majority decision, so that we can all stop going to court and focus on holding the Marape government accountable,” Mr Nomane said.
He also criticised the Opposition’s performance under Mr Tomuriesa’s leadership, pointing to what he described as a lack of legal challenges, Ombudsman referrals, and alternative policy strategies to counter government decisions.
The Opposition leadership dispute is far from over as Mr Nomane prepares to pursue the case in the Supreme Court.