The various presidents of the tertiary wing of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have registered their displeasure about the mode of the compilation of registrations for the December 17, 2022 youth conference to elect a national youth organiser for the party.

According to the presidents, despite the fact they were prevented from voting during the Greater Regional Youth wing election, they will not tolerate any last-minute injunction to stop them from voting in the National Youth Elections.

The presidents of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) raised these concerns in a statement dated Wednesday, November 30, 2022.

"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 be 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 Dorectorate is allowed to stand."

Below is the statement

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 frivilous.

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 centre.

When this annoucement was made, the deputy National TEIN Coordinator and known assigns of the National Youth Organizer went into wild jubilation. This jubilation was shortlived as their choice of Regional Youth Organizer suffered a humiliating defeat.

Suprisingly, neither the National Youth Organizer or his deputies have uttered a word about that unfortunate incident. This only tells us that the actions of the deputy National TEIN coordinator was 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 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 Dorectorate 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 be 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 Dorectorate 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)