UGDecides: Prince Asumadu sues University of Ghana over election disputes

Judicial Board rules for re-run of elections at Mensah Sarbah and Akuafo Halls

Dean of Students Committee yet to present findings on election petitions

Student activists warn of void in UGSRC

President-elect of the 2021 University of Ghana Student’s Representative Council (UGSRC) election, Prince Asumadu, has sued the management of the institution together with the Dean of student over the current impasse on transition within student governance.

In a writ of summon sighted by GhanaWeb, the plaintiff prays the High Court to place an interlocutory injunction refraining the respondents from continuing with processes to swear in any other person as SRC president besides himself.

Prince Asumadu again wants the Court to grant a mandatory injunction compelling the respondents to swear him in as SRC pending the findings of the Dean of Students Committee setup to investigate petitions challenging results from Mensah Sarbah and Akuafo Hall.

UGSRC has been unable to transition into a new administration after the run-off elections in October, this year, as a result of alleged electoral infractions at the two halls.

The suit follows a ruling by the SRC Judicial Board annulling the election results of Mensah Sarbah Hall and Akuffo Hall and an order to Electoral Commission to conduct re-election for the two halls – a move resisted by the Commissioners.

In the writ of summon dated December 24, 2011, Prince Asumadu primarily claims that, the SRC Judicial Board was not properly constituted and therefore all rulings and orders purportedly made by the Board are unlawful and illegal thus should be null and void and of no legal effect.

He also contends that the Chief Justice of the SRC Judicial Board, Regina Apaloo, who also is a defendant of the case, is a former student of the University and as such does not qualify to be a member of a Judicial Board of the SRC, much more the Chairperson.

The Electoral Commission of the University of Ghana, Legon on October 30, 2021, declared Prince Asumadu and Wisdom Ndukwe as President and Veep elect in the 2021 Student Representative Council (SRC) elections.

The two garnered 7,647 votes, representing 51.6% of the total votes cast.

Their contenders, Samuel Amos Ofosu and running mate, Alfred Acquah managed to garner 7,156 votes representing 48.3%.

Find below the full details of both cases: