A second-year University of Ghana (UG) student has filed a lawsuit against the university, its senior officials, and the Electoral Commissioner (EC) of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC).
Joseph Mawuli Asioh filed the lawsuit at the Circuit Court in Adentan, Accra, to contest the inclusion of two disqualified candidates in the 2024 SRC elections.
The writ cited procedural violations by the university’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gordon A. Awandare and the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor Rosina Kyerematen.
In a dramatic turn of events, the University of Ghana Appeals Board unanimously overturned the disqualification of musician Maradona Adjei Yeboah, popularly known as Guru and Emmanuel Owusu Amponsah from the SRC presidential election.
Initially, the SRC had disqualified Guru, citing that he did not meet the necessary qualifications to contest.
After a legal tussle, the judicial board confirmed that the grounds for the disqualification were legitimate.
However, in a letter dated September 15, the Vice Dean instructed that the names of the two candidates and their respective running mates be included in the list of presidential candidates.
This prompted the plaintiff to seek redress at the circuit court.
The plaintiff contends that the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gordon Awandare, instructed the Dean of Students Affairs to convene the Appeals Board meeting to hear the case.
According to him, the Appeals Board, which typically handles appeals and does not have original jurisdiction, heard the matter.
In what the plaintiff describes as unlawful, the Appeals Board overturned the Judicial Board’s ruling and reinstated the disqualified candidates, allowing them to contest in the upcoming SRC elections.
Joseph Mawuli Asioh is, therefore, asking the court to declare that the decision of the Vetting Committee to disqualify the two candidates was lawful and binding.
Other reliefs are an order to restrain the defendants from interfering with the SRC electoral process and an order preventing the inclusion of the disqualified candidates in the SRC elections.
The plaintiff is also seeking costs, including solicitor’s fees.