Accra, Feb. 21, GNA - The incumbent President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Ms Ajoa Yeboah-Afari has withdrawn her candidature to contest for the position of president in the forthcoming elections.

The GJA Elections Committee has also disqualified Mr Emmanuel Otuei Annancy, Editor of the Inter-African Newspaper, from contesting as Organising Secretary because he did not satisfy the provisions of the Constitution.

In view of these developments, the GJA Elections Committee announced on Tuesday that it was reopening nominations for the positions of President and Organising Secretary as stipulated by the Constitution. A statement signed by Mr Bennedict Assorow, Chairman of the Committee, said the deadline for submission of nominations for both positions would be Tuesday, February 28, 2006. It stressed that this announcement did not affect the voting date, which remained March 9, 2006.

The Committee said Ms Yeboah-Afari, who had filed to contest the presidency with Ms Sarah Akrofi-Quarcoo of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), had written to the Committee withdrawing from the race, saying she no longer wished to "contest to retain her position as President".

In the case of Mr Annancy, the Committee said he did not satisfy the requirements of Article 47 (b) (iii) which states: "All members aspiring for executive positions at the national and regional levels must be members in good standing at least 90 days before the elections." Further, Mr Annancy paid two years' dues, instead of three years, only on February 6, 2006. Mr Annancy and Mr Dave Agbenu, Editor in Charge of the Education Desk of Ghanaian Times, were the two candidates who had filed to contest for the position of Organising Secretary.