Presidents of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Greater Accra Region have raised concerns over the compilation of the Delegates Register for the Party’s Upcoming national elections.
Concerns were raised by the Network’s executives during the Party’s just-ended regional executives’ elections.
The presidents of the Network at the various tertiary institutions petitioned the Party after some executives of the Network were prevented from participating in the regional elections.
Kindly find below the full statement:
PRESS STATEMENT BY GREATER ACCRA TEIN PRESIDENTS ON THE COMPILATION OF TEIN DELEGATES LIST FOR THE IMPENDING NATIONAL YOUTH ELECTION.
30th November, 2022
We the Presidents of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the NDC in the Greater Accra Region would like to express our disgust with recent developments regarding the compilation of the delegates list for the upcoming National Youth Conference.
We are highly disappointed in the leadership of the National Youth Wing for failing to protect the voting rights of TEIN Presidents as they promised after TESCON executives were prevented from voting in this year’s NPP’s National Conference.
Article 22(5)(g) of the Constitution of the NDC guarantees the voting rights of representatives of all accredited TEIN institutions at National Youth Conferences. This has been reinforced by regulation 2.2.2 (g) of the guidelines governing the national elections approved by the Functional Executive Committee and the National Executive Committee, which provides that one representative from each accredited TEIN institution which shall be the President, shall attend and vote at the national youth conference. Similarly, TEIN Presidents of all accredited institutions have been given voting rights at regional youth conferences under the NDC constitution and the guidelines governing the regional elections.
TEIN, as we know it, operates under the Regional Youth wing and as such, the Regional Youth wing is primarily responsible for the compilation of a register of eligible TEIN Presidents delegates for Regional and National Youth Wing conferences. In line with this mandate, the Greater Accra Regional Youth wing compiled the list of all accredited TEIN institutions in the Region of which forty (40) accredited Tertiary Institutions were shortlisted and presented to the Regional Electoral Committee chaired by the venerable Professor Joshua Alabi.
Subsequent to this, some aspirants, led by the deputy National TEIN Coordinator, Benard Dartey (A.K.A Kawawa) contested the list compiled by the Regional youth wing. They, particularly the deputy National TEIN Coordinator, made a number of wild allegations seeking to discredit the list. It was on this basis that the Professor Alabi-led election committee decided to investigate the allegations and submit a final list of eligible TEIN PRESIDENTS to the regional and national party secretariats for purposes of the regional and national youth conferences.
The committee gave less than 24-hour notice to TEIN Presidents to submit documents such as Student ID, Party ID, and Admission letters to verify whether the Presidents were indeed students since that was the main allegation. The TEIN presidents followed this directive and submitted these documents for verification.
At the end of the process, it turned out that all the allegations were unfounded and frivolous. Indeed, when the Alabi Committee invited those who made the allegation for a meeting on the second day of verification to finalize the list, none of them showed up after realizing they had been misled by the deputy National TEIN Coordinator on the first day. Thus, all 40 TEIN Presidents were verified as eligible voters in the Regional and National Youth Wing Conferences.
At the time this verification process was ongoing, the Functional Executive Committee also constituted a Committee Chaired by Dr. Karl Mark Arhin to undertake a similar exercise. Interestingly, the Mark Arhin-led committee arrived at the same conclusion as the Alabi-led committee. It turned out that, all the allegations were aimed at denying us our voting rights in the regional youth election because we had unanimously refused to support a particular Regional Youth Organizer aspirant which was the choice of the deputy National TEIN Coordinator and known allies of the National Youth Organizer.
Though the two Committees cleared us to vote in the Regional Youth Wing election on November 11, we were informed on the eve of the election that two faceless individuals had applied to the Amasaman High Court to secure an interim injunction to stop 32 tertiary institutions from voting and as a result, TEIN Presidents from these institutions could not vote upon getting to the voting center.
When this announcement was made, the deputy National TEIN Coordinator and known assigns of the National Youth Organizer went into wild jubilation. This jubilation was short-lived as their choice of Regional Youth Organizer suffered a humiliating defeat. Surprisingly, neither the National Youth Organizer nor his deputies have uttered a word about that unfortunate incident. This only tells us that the actions of the deputy National TEIN coordinator were sanctioned by the National Youth Wing, particularly the National Youth Organizer since he appointed him.
We find this development worrying, especially when a committee made up of revered personalities like Professor Joshua Alabi and Dr. Mark Arhin would have their decisions challenged disrespectfully in this way and allow these faceless people to walk freely. This disrespectful attitude prompted TEIN presidents to submit a petition to the office of the General Secretary for these people to be subjected to party discipline. As it stands now, we have not heard any communication from the office of the General Secretary on the fate of our petition but we are hopeful that it will be acted upon.
What has broken the camel’s back for which we are alarmed, is the intel we have picked that the Deputy Director of Elections, Mr. Daniel Amartey acting on the instructions of the National Youth Organizer has decided to exclude the 32 institutions who were wrongly disenfranchised in regional youth elections from the delegates list for the National Youth Wing election on the flimsy ground that we were injuncted from voting in the Regional Youth Wing election, hence must not vote in the National Youth Wing election.
To set the records straight, the said order for interim injunction, ex parte, was granted on November 11 under of hand of Justice Emmanuel Bart Plange Brew and was to last for 10 days. The 10 days expired on November 21 without the plaintiffs renewing the order. As it stands now, there is no injunction stopping any TEIN President in Greater Accra from voting in the National Youth Wing election. The plaintiffs’ decision to abandon their case after the Regional Youth Wing election exposed the mischievious motive behind the expired injunction.
As TEIN Presidents, we know that the constitution of NDC has laid down processes and procedures members must follow to seek redress if they have any grievances. The Party must take serious notice of this new phenomenon of last minute injunctions by some aspirants usually against delegates who are perceived not to be in support of their bid.
There is a saying that if you want to speak to God, you speak through the air and for that matter, we are by this press release, calling on the Functional Executives of NDC and the National Election committee to intervene and use the list submitted to them by the Greater Accra Regional Youth Wing through the Alabi electoral committee, which has been authenticated and approved by FEC’s own committee, the Mark Arhin-led Committee for the purpose of the impending national youth conference. The Elections Directorate must respectfully do the needful, failure of which will force us to resort to all legitimate means to vindicate our rights.
We also wish to serve notice that any last-minute attempt to pull another last-minute injunction to stop us from voting in the national youth elections will be fiercely resisted. We were wrongly denied our right to vote at the Greater Accra regional youth wing elections but we shall not sit aloof and allow a few individuals to deny us our right to vote in the impending national youth elections all because of their selfish and parochial interest. The leadership of the NDC should kindly take note, that there will be no TEIN in any institution in Greater Accra going forward if this evil agenda by some elements in the national Youth Wing and Elections Directorate is allowed to stand.
Signed:
1. Ibrahim Rashid
University of Professional Studies
2. Paul Amaldago
University of Ghana, main Campus
3. Henry Emmanuel Viku
Accra College of Education
4. Nicholas Kabutey
Ghana Institute of Languages
5. Edward Nii Awuley
University of Ghana, City Campus
6. Abdul Fatah Maigah Mahama
GIMP, main campus
7. Emmanuel Akani
African University College of Communication
8. Godwin H. Quarshie
Central University, Accra Campus
9. Goodness Enam Vorledzi
Accra Technical University
10. Tawiah Mensah Joseph
Valley View University
11. Mary N. D. Tettey
St. Karol Nursing Training School
12. E.D. Sam
Institute of Local Government Studies
13. Edwin Makafui Beckley
Methodist University, Dansoman campus
14. Kom Ephraim
Marshalls University College
15. Kuma Derrick Kojo
Methodist University College, Tema Campus
16. Agbodza Raphael
Nyaniba Health Assistants Training School
17. Iddrisu Abdul Karim
Data Link University College
18. Jacque Otumfuor
Regional Maritime University
19. Jacob Kwaku Jimmy Ahiakpah
Pentecost University College, Tema Campus
20. Joseph N. A. Otoo
Dominion University College
21. Eric Ofori Aryeetey
NAFTI
22. Joseph O.M. Khartey
School of Social Work
23. Lucas Gilbert Kofi
Accra Business School
24. Salifu Batiw Fatimata
Wisconsin University College
25. Edwin A. Coffie
KNUST, Accra Campus
26. Sammed Bawa
GIMPA, Tema campus
27. Roger Amanor
Kings University College
28. Benjamin Quarcoo
Pentecost University, Sowutuom
29. Mathew S. O. Amoah
Ghana Telecom University
30. Asana Awuni Ayumah
Madina Institute of Technology
31. Albert Parker Nartey
Accra Institute of Technology
32. Abubakari Iddrisu
Islamic University College
33. Kate Esi Kunim B.
Western Hills School of Nursing
34. Richard Otu Anim
Meridian Pre University
35. W. K Crah
Maranatha University College
36. Musah Ibrahim
Central University, Miotso
37. Victus Mawuli Fometsi
Ghana Christian University College
38. Francis Eric Donkor
KnustFord University College
39. Edward Tawiah
Nursing Training School, Pantang
40. Alex Amponsah
Korle Bu TEIN (UG Medical School, Nursong school amd Allied Institutions)