UDS SRC President suspended

Wa, Jan. 21, GNA - Authorities of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, have suspended from office the Student Representative Council (SRC), Mr Naab .S. A. Alphonse for alleged misconduct.

Professor K. S. Nokoe, Acting Vice Chancellor of UDS in a letter dated November 28th, 2008, accused Mr Alphonse of using abusive language in a letter addressed to him (Acting Vice Chancellor) and granting interviews to the media that allegedly tarnished the image of the University.

Mr Alphonse has further been accused of disrupting academic programmes during the SRC's week celebration, an action the authorities considered to be an abuse of office.

The authorities, has therefore, directed the Dean of Students to replace Mr Alphonso with an interim SRC representative on the UDS Council.

In reaction, the Central SRC General Assembly has appealed to the Vice Chancellor to revoke the suspension. Meanwhile, a resolution signed by 32 students at the Council general meeting on January 17th this year said the Vice Chancellor's action as an infringement on the rights of students. The General Assembly, therefore, pleaded with the authorities to rescind their decision and restore Mr Alphonse as the SRC President with all the mandated rights and responsibilities.

Mr Mustapha Abdul Ganiyu, Vice Central SRC President and Mr Ignatius A. Awaafo, Vice Central SRC Secretary both said the allegations levelled against Mr Alphonse were false and could not be substantiated. "The SRC President has breached no constitutional provision that deserves such a penalty," they said and referred the University authorities to chapter eight Article 22 clauses I and II of the SRC constitution of the students regulations to judge the merit of the case. "For the alleged use of abusive words in a letter to the Vice chancellor, the words were simply the appropriate diction to convey the true picture of the situation on the ground and nothing more than that," the students said.

"The SRC President is a democratically elected student leader, per constitutional arrangements and can only be removed from office by the student body, either on an action of impeachment or vote of no confidence," the students contended.

"We the members of the Central SRC General Assembly, representing the highest decision making body of the students have therefore given the University authorities 72 hours upon the receiving our letter to revoke their decision or the student body would advise themselves appropriately," the students warned.