Seuʻula Ioane

The Honourable
Seuʻula Ioane
Minister of Education[a]
In office
24 May 2021 – 16 September 2025[b]
Prime MinisterFiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Preceded byLoau Keneti Sio
Succeeded byAiono Alec Ekeroma
Member of the Samoan Parliament
for Alataua West
In office
24 May 2021 – 3 June 2025
Preceded byAliʻimalemanu Alofa Tuuau
Succeeded byTaituave Lafaitele Valoaga Iona
Personal details
Born1957 (age 67–68)
PartySamoa Uniting Party (since 2025)
Other political
affiliations		Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (until 2025)

Seuʻula Ioane Tuʻuau (born ~1957)[1] is a Samoan politician and former Cabinet Minister.[2] He is a member of the Samoa Uniting Party (SUP).

Seuʻula is from the village of Tufutafoe.[3] He is a former school teacher and principal, and served as principal of Tufutafoe Primary School for 20 years.[1] He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa in the 2021 Samoan general election as a Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) candidate,[4] defeating Aliʻimalemanu Alofa Tuuau.[5] When Tuuau was declared elected under the women's quota on 20 April 2021, he was a party to the court challenge which saw her appointment overturned.[6][7][8]

On 24 May 2021 he was appointed Minister of Education, Sports and Culture in the elected cabinet of Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa.[9] The appointment was disputed by the caretaker government. On 23 July 2021 the Court of Appeal ruled that the swearing-in ceremony was constitutional and binding, and that FAST had been the government since 24 May.[10]

In October 2021 he graduated from the National University of Samoa with a Bachelors of Education.[3]

Prime Minister Mataʻafa called a snap election following the government's budget defeat in parliament on 27 May 2025.[11] Following the dissolution of parliament,[12] Seuʻula, Mataʻafa and the rest of cabinet confirmed their resignations from FAST and established the SUP.[13] Seuʻula initially filed to run in the 2025 election, but later withdrew.[14] His tenure as education minister ended on 16 September, and he was succeeded by Aiono Alec Ekeroma.[15]

Seuʻula is married with six children and eight grandchildren. He is a member of the Assembly of God Church.[16]

Notes

  1. ^ Education, Sports and Culture until 2023
  2. ^ Disputed: 24 May 2021 – 23 July 2021

References

  1. ^ a b Soli Wilson (10 October 2020). "Education access drives F.A.S.T. candidate". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  2. ^ "First FAST Cabinet Down to Work – When the Impossible Happens". Talamua Online. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b Adel Fruean (1 October 2021). "Cabinet Minister among N.U.S. graduates". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  4. ^ "FAST Ushers In More New MPs Than HRPP". Newsline Samoa. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  5. ^ Soli Wilson (13 April 2021). "Principal takes out former Parliamentary Committee Chair". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  6. ^ Lagi Keresoma (29 April 2021). "Why Elected Candidate Seu'ula Ioane must be part of the motion". Talamua. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Extra seat thrown out: FAST win Samoa election". RNZ. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  8. ^ Marieta H Ilalio (17 May 2021). "Additional Parliamentary Seat Declared "Unconstitutional and Void"". Samoa Global News. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  9. ^ Marieta H Ilalio (25 May 2021). "Fiame Sworn in as Prime Minister under Marquees on Parliament Grounds". Samoa Global News. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  10. ^ Lanuola Tusani Tupufia - Ah Tong (23 July 2021). "F.A.S.T. declared new Government as appeal upheld". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  11. ^ Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai (10 June 2025). "Samoa head of state issues official election writ". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Speaker continues in office after Parliament dissolves without fanfare". Talamua Online. Apia. 3 June 2025. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Fiame & 15 confirm resignation and want share of FAST Funds". Talamua Online. Apia. 5 June 2025. Archived from the original on 5 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  14. ^ Bethel Ale (14 July 2025). "Seuula drops out of election race". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Laaulialemalietoa announces his first Cabinet as Samoa's Prime Minister". Samoa Global News. 16 September 2025. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Minister of Education and Culture Hon. Seuula Ioane". www.samoagovt.ws. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2024.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.