Over three hundred aggrieved students of the University of Ghana have petitioned leadership of the school over what they describe as an unfair disqualification of an SRC presidential aspirant.
In a letter addressed to Prof. Rosina Kyerematen, the Dean of Students Affairs at the University of Ghana, the Coalition of Aggrieved Undergraduate Students raise concerns about the disqualification of Mr. Derick Ampong in the 2022/2023 SRC Presidential Election.
His disqualification, according to the letter was based on his vice-presidential candidate, Mr. Akwasi Francis, allegedly not meeting the required Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.0 when the vetting results were released on 22nd July.
The letter claimed that the EC made a resolution to the General Assembly to allow presidential aspirants who would be disqualified during Vetting, on grounds of GPA, to submit another candidate in order to be permitted to contest in the election, an intent which some General Assembly members confirm to, but ignored by the EC.
Against the backdrop of these narratives, the coalition of over 300 electorates says it believes that the Electoral Commission is mismanaging and opposing students’ interests in electing a viable presidential representative for the SRC.
They point out that Mr. Akwasi Francis had met the required CGPA AT THE TIME OF FILING HIS NOMINATION on 12th July, but later faced a drop in CGPA due to a result of an outstanding course that was released days after the nomination period.
The aggrieved students are however requesting that the issue of Mr. Akwasi Francis’ CGPA be ascertained through the University of Ghana’s Centralized Grading System (UGCS) and a verdict be brought accordingly, taking into consideration the SRC constitution that stipulates qualification on the ground that an aspirants CGPA should be 3.0 or above “as at the time of filing his nomination.”
Additionally, they call for the Dean to put the electoral commission to order by reinstating Mr. Derick Ampong’s candidature in the presidential election, considering that his disqualification was not his fault and can be constitutionally contested.
If reinstating Mr. Akwasi Francis (Disqualified Running Mate) proves challenging, they propose
The Dean to grant amnesty to Mr Derick Ampong on TERMS BEST FIT , which is To allow Him to submit a new Running Mate to give University of Ghana Undergraduate students the chance to elect a preferred presidential representation into the SRC.
The aggrieved students further revealed that another aspirant in the Presidential election has been disqualified on the same grounds as Mr. Derick Ampong raising an alternative suggestion that the highest fairness and logical term that the Dean could consider for the interest of students is to allow the 2 disqualified presidential aspirants merge as a team.
