ONE of the educated elites of Southern Highlands Province, Mr. Immanuel Loma Pamea has come out publicly expressing concerns about poor management of election process and systems in the country.
Taking 2022 Kagua-Erave election as a case in point, Mr. Pamea, who was the runner up in the 2022 National General Election for Kagua-Erave Open seat, expressed his grave concerns on how the election process and systems were managed in his district.
He condemned the managing of election process in the district especially during the polling, movement of ballot boxes and into counting, as this had prevented people choosing a quality leader.
Aggrieved by this election mismanagement, Mr. Pamea has decided to bring up an election petition on the win of incumbent Kagua-Erave MP, Hon. Maina Pano to courts since July 2023.
With a final decision of his election petition scheduled to be handed down on April 25th 2025, Mr. Pamea clarified that his fight through the petition was to correct the mismanagement of election process and systems.
The runner up for the Kagua-Erave Open seat further clarified that the court battle was not with Hon. Maina Pano, but it was with the system and process of election, with the sitting MP being the respondent.
“I never mentioned Hon. Maina Pano in my petition, but only Electoral Commission,” Mr. Pamea stated.
Pamea, who was a former public servant at the Treasury, Finance and Planning Departments respectively, stated that by seen the need of basic services has prompted him to contest the 2022 election.
“I wanted to give my best and show the leadership that the people deserve to drive services into all corners of the Kagua-Erave District. However, the electoral process and system on ground failed me so I brought this up in the courts,” he expressed.
“Maina Pano is my brother; we all candidates contested as brothers to work side by side, but electoral system has failed us bigtime in the way they managed it,” Pamea said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Pamea strongly urged the people of Kagua-Erave to respect and corporate with the current MP while allowing the court process to take its course.
He added that people must not take sides or take law into their own hands, and allow the court to make its final decision on April 25th 2025.
“If it’s in our favor then we all go for bye-election; and if the incumbent wins, then we all work together towards 2027,” said the petitioner.
He said Kagua-Erave Electorate is currently is in dire needs of basic government services in all sectors including health, education, road networks, SME support, and agriculture development with the Gulf economic corridor opening up.
Mr. Pamea reiterated that better, quality and strategic leadership would drive real tangible services and development into the rural areas and within the district of Kagua-Erave, thus people must vote freely and fairly to elect quality leader and not under any influence at all going forward.