 Agiru was dismissed from office and banned from public office for three years in January 2002 after being found guilty of misconduct by a leadership tribunal, and failed in repeated attempts to overturn the ban to allow him to contest the June 2002 election.Central Bougainville MP Sam Akoitai was the party's only MP after the election, and in July 2002, he became the party's second leader, with Agiru stating "the party is here to stay".Following the election, the URP switched their support to new Prime Minister Michael Somare.