Koim joins race for Dei seat

Former Internal Revenue Commission [IRC] Commissioner General, Sam Koim, has officially filed his nomination to contest the Dei Open By-Election.

Koim lodged his nomination in Mt Hagen on Wednesday, 10th December, 2025, confirming his intention to stand as an independent candidate.

He said it was a deep and thoughtful decision to contest, following his resignation from his position as IRC Commissioner General.

Koim said after 16 years of serving the nation in various public service roles, he now believes it is time to give back to the people of Dei.

"The people have seen the kind of work I have done in my roles over the years . I feel now is the right time to serve at the political level," Koim said.

The former CG said one of his key motivations for entering the race is the need to improve the quality of laws and policies in Papua New Guinea.

He said the quality of laws determines the direction of a country, and the quality of policies determines how the country progresses.

"There is a serious need to improve the quality of the laws that are made. Good laws and sound policies shape the destiny of a nation,” he said.

Koim said he is not contesting to displace any other candidate from their constitutional right to run for office.

He wished all other candidates the very best, saying the by-election should be fair, competitive and conducted in the same spirit as the 2022 National Election where Dei performed well in polling.

Despite stepping into politics, Koim confirmed he will continue to hold his two existing capacities as Chancellor of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology [Unitech] and Board Chairman of the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority [WHPHA].

The Dei Open By-Election is now underway, with so far 15 candidates nominations being received as of yesterday afternoon.

Meantime, nomination will close on on Thursday 11th December 2025 and Order of Draw will be on Friday 12th December at the PNGEC Office in Mt Hagen.