Tension mounts at UEW as injunction ‘hits’ SRC elections

University of Education, Winneba (UEW) Students Representative Council elections has suffered a hefty blow with all election activities called off due to a court injunction.

The SRC elections scheduled for Saturday 12th of May 2018 ded by Mr. Patrick Adjei during their vetting of potential student leaders for the various positions within the SRC disqualified candidate Paul Abrokwa the students favorite on the bases of him and his Vice being affiliated to the same hall.

The source also disclosed that, the bases of the disqualification doesn’t hold water because the Vice candidate has actually changed his hall of affiliation before filling for the said position.

It has also come to light that the aggrieved disqualified candidate has exhausted all judicial procedures for the redress of the issues. The Judicial council of the university in a ruling when the issues of the disqualification came to their attention ruled in favor of the candidate Paul Abrokwa amidst great jubilation on the campus. Subsequently, the SRC went for an appeal against the ruling of the judicial board of the University.

Our Sources told us that, the Vice Dean of student affairs then laid an injunction on the election awaiting the final ruling on the mater by the appeals board. However the appeals board was constituted with the Registrar of the University as Chairman contrary to the constitution of the University which states that the Dean of students’ affair must chair the said committee. The appeals committee led by the Registrar Mr. Paul Osei Barimah upheld the decision of the Vetting Committee which was just an ad hoc committee in the whole election process.

This development has forced Candidate Paul Abrokwa to seek solace and judicial advice from the Cape Coast High court for the final determination on the matter and hence the Court injunction laid on all election activities on the campus starting Friday, 11th of May 2018. Hearing at the Cape Coast court begins in the coming weeks and it is already causing a lot of tension among the students at all levels.

The big questions on the mind of students of UEW are why the Dean, Registrar and the SRC are fighting for candidate Steadfast Smith to become the SRC President for the 2018/19 year group? Is there any rot they are covering up? Are they worried about accountability? Or it is politically motivated. These and many other questions are left unanswered and may be the Court might help.