IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN
WRITES…
As I promised at the end of the part 1, in this
part, I shall let you into some of the negatives of the Hohoe congress as well
as the conduct of some individuals that is worth mentioning. Enjoy the read:
WERE THERE ISSUES WITH
THE NUGS ELECTIONS?
Yes, there were issues with the elections; just
as there has always been issues with every NUGS elections in recent past. One particular electoral malpractice that
characterized the elections is the issue of top-ups, where people who are not
necessarily delegates or students, participated in the polls. Some people,
mainly Ewes were bused by the “political caucus” ostensibly to come and vote
for their own. The aspirants were left with no option but to also campaign to
these “foreigners”, otherwise known as top-ups. It got to a time, where the
more an aspirant could speak the Ewe language, the more popular he/she became.
Those who could not speak Ewe, had to quickly
get some “Ewe students” to lead their campaign for that night. This spectacle
to me, was so shameful but hey! there was very little anybody could do to
arrest the situation. Again, the failure of the EC to make the voters register
available to all the candidates on time, is an issue that is worth bemoaning. Admittedly,
this issue, which gives birth to the top-up syndrome, has been associated with
every NUGS elections; even though the NUGS constitution, precisely Article 73 frowns
on same. It is however instructive to note that even Ghana’s electoral
commission does not respect this particular provision in our electoral laws to
the latter. So, even as I condemn this practice, it would be hypocritical on my
part to say that it is peculiar to NUGS and in particular, the Hohoe congress.
I am somewhat disappointed in my good friend
and brother, Frank Amoakohene and his team for some of their “reprehensible actions”.
You guys were very critical of the EC for failing to provide you with the
voters register, 6 hours to the polls and that was legitimate. You went to the
NUGS court to INJUNCT the whole elections because of this issue. The court DECLINED
this request because the electoral process had already begun but the court granted
you your second relief by ordering the EC to immediately provide you with the
register. Immediately you returned from the court room, by which time, the
register was ready [this, I can confirm because I saw it], you never went for
it; instead, you wrote to the EC claiming you were pulling out of the race
because of this very issue.
So, if you knew you didn’t need the voters register
and that, you were going to pull out of the race anyway, why did you waste the
court’s time and every persons’? You guys definitely acted in bad faith under
the circumstances. Maybe you need to read the electoral laws of Ghana once
again. A candidate CANNOT pull out of a race when all is set for the elections
to kick start. I am therefore not surprised that the EC Chair, didn’t grant you
your wish. I know the grounds or what we call, the odds were not favourable to
you, but I expected you to act with some finesse.
And you are now saying the whole congress/election
is a sham? And that, Julian M. Cobbinah (Ascorbic) is an imposter of a NUGS President
Elect? Like seriously? I guess you would have still said that if you won the
elections. Well, now that some people have made us to believe that, one does
not need the blessing of congress or to win an election to become a NUGS
president, I think you can also take a cue from that and organize a press
conference to declare yourself as the “legitimate NUGS President Elect” in
order to complete the JOKE of the century. Aren’t the students of Ghana tired
of you guys?
I don’t want to believe you were behind that fake
release, purportedly emanating from NAHSAG, because all the NAHSAG executives including
your “boy”, the NAHSAG president, participated in the NUGS congress from start
to end; so they certainly couldn’t have issued a statement dissociating themselves
from the congress. My brother, Frank, you are a great guy, who has all it takes
to lead NUGS and I have no doubt that you would be one of the finest materials
to serve as NUGS President. Please your
post-election actions would determine if you would ever have the opportunity to
lead this Union. Remember you are a medical student and still have some years
ahead of you, which qualifies you to contest for the presidency next year and
beyond. A word to a wise.
Moving forward, as a way of dealing with the top-up
syndrome, I suggest NUGS must adopt a new ELECTORAL REGIME, where it would be
made mandatory for leaders of delegation to present their delegates list on the
first or second day of congress. Again, NUGS should take a cue from PUSAG, where
each institution must pay capitation for all their delegates before they are
qualified to vote. So if an institution came to congress with say, 25 delegates
but paid capitation for only 10 delegates, only the 10 delegates would enjoy
all the congress courtesies including the right to vote.
Last but not least, NUGS does not have to wait
for all the blocs under the Union to hold their congresses before that of the
Union. This is the reason why NUGS congress of late, goes beyond August or September,
by which time, all the Universities would have reopened from the long vacation,
leading to difficulties in securing a venue.
ELORM MAWULI, THE
ILLEGAL GUPS PRESIDENT AND HIS EMBARRASSING ISSUES
If you read Article 52 of the GUPS
constitution, you would understand why I’m referring to that chap as illegal
GUPS president. This Article clearly states that, “GUPS Handing Over-Ceremony SHALL take place within four (4) weeks
after congress [my emphasis]”. As we speak, it is getting to 7 weeks after the
GUPS congress was held and still Elorm doesn’t want to handover. All attempts
by the incoming GUPS executives as well as the Union’s patron, Professor Joshua
Alabi to get Elorm to discharge this constitutional duty, have so far, proven
futile. Maybe he hasn’t finished enjoying the GUPS swag. I understand he is
being compelled to do that tomorrow. I can only hope he doesn’t disappoint
again.
I used to respect this guy and uphold him in
high esteem, to the extent of writing thesis, sometime ago, in his honour but
now, I’m afraid he has lost it. He started losing it when some of the aspirants
in this year’s GUPS congress brought his complaint to me, about some of his action,
which I don’t wish to regurgitate here. He continued to lose it with his gross
inconsistencies regarding the decision on the venue for the 2016 NUGS congress.
And he finally lost it at the congress ground. Now watch this;
Elorm Mawuli actively participates in the NUGS
congress at Hohoe, he MCs the opening ceremony, takes part in the central committee
meeting, nominates one Lamisi, the outgoing GUPS sectary to be part of the
Electoral Commission (she later became the EC’s secretary). Yet, this same
Elorm guy leaves the congress ground on the final day, gets home, and
shockingly decides to issue a statement, with the caption, “GUPS DISSOCIATES
ITSELF FROM THE TWO NUGS CONGRESSES”.
Don’t you agree with me that somebody needs a
checkup here? Elorm’s agenda was simple; he came to the congress ground with a
gentleman by name, Noel Nutsugah, who had just returned from the United Kingdom
(UK) with some heavy British Pounds, whom he (Elorm) wanted to impose on NUGS
to be our GETfund Rep. And when this attempt failed, he became very agitated
and left the congress ground in indignation. Money is indeed the cause of all evil.
Yes, I was very instrumental in ensuring that
he didn’t succeed with this mischief in the interest of justice and to uphold
the constitution of NUGS. It all started when the electoral commission invited Noel
Nutsugah to present his manifesto as a candidate for the position of NUGS Rep
at GETFund. This development threw some of us into tantrums as we went ballistic
in vehement protest on the grounds that, the GETFund position, which was
initially opened, was later closed after the Ministry of Education wrote to
NUGS and informed the Union that the current GETFund Board, which has 4-year
mandate was only inaugurated in February, 2016. In view of this, the would-be aspirants
who initially bought the Nomination Forms for this position had to reconsider
their decision.
Some had their money refunded to them. In view
of this, NO candidate was vetted for GETFund position and this is evidenced in
the vetting committee’s report which was presented and approved by Central Committee
(CC). Angered by this decision, Noel Nutsugah and his “boy”, Elorm proceeded to
“threaten” some of the NUGS executives especially the President to necessarily make
him the GETFund Rep.
This was where I became so disappointed in the
NUGS President, the Vetting Committee Chairman in particular (Mr. Sampson
Targoe) and some NEC members for acquiescing to his demands and claimed to have
reopened the GETFund nomination after the official DISSOLUTION of CC, which
Noel took advantage of. However, this turned out to be a contrived lie meant to
impose this chap on NUGS. Constitutionally, this was an impossibility. Sensing
foul-play, I then petitioned the NUGS court on behalf of my client, Roland Djan
Kwafo Jnr. to annul his candidature. The court unanimously upheld our claims but
at second instance.
When Elorm, at this juncture, realized that he
had failed his godfather (Noel), he left the court room angrily accusing the
NUGS President, who was also in court as a respondent, of betrayal. Immediately
he came out and chanced upon the NUGS treasurer (Yusuf Ali), he started visiting
physical assault on him demanding for the release of all monies he was owed
(per him claims). But for the timely intervention of the Police, who used their
SHOCKERS to restrain this “violent man” and whisked him away, the situation
would have been bloody.
This was how this Elorm guy embarrassed himself,
his institution and GUPS for that matter. Upon his release, he then issued that
hogwash of a statement, claiming to be dissociating GUPS from NUGS and making
some incredulous allegations against the person of the NUGS President. I expect
all the GUPS member institutions to rise up to the occasion and call this chap
to order. He wants to destroy the Union before handing-over and he must not be
allowed to succeed. GUPS is a professional association and must, at all-time, be
seen to be acting as such.
All in all, I am swimming in the pool of
confidence that our detractors would do all their antics, they would try to
destroy the image of the Union because they could not get their wish, but in
the final analysis, NUGS would triumph and witness a REJUVENATED ARMY that
would be COMBATIVE to student opposition and ultimately, RESPONSIVE to the
concerns of Ghanaian students INSHA ALLAH.
Assalamu alaikum
This piece was compiled by a concerned Ghanaian in the
business of OCCUPYING HEARTS and MINDS for the love of God and country.
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN
Youth Activist/Student Activist
Former NUGS Secretary
(0245335197)
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