Ho Poly Students Boycott SRC Elections

The simmering tension that began last Monday, 4th May, 2015, has risen a notch higher as students, led by the executives of the Students Representative Council (SRC), have suspended all students' elections of the Ho Polytechnic.

The polytechnic was due to hold its SRC elections this Thursday, 7th May, 2015 together with the GNUPS elections. However, this new decision by the students has deflated the charged electioneering atmosphere on the polytechnic campus.

The students' decision is aimed at registering their displeasure at the disruption of the Ghana Union of Polytechnic Students' (GNUPS') election last Tuesday, 5th May, 2015.

The GNUPS election was stalled due to a disagreement between management of Ho Polytechnic and leadership of GNUPS over the eligibility of a candidate (name withheld).

According to the rotational policy of GNUPS, Ho Polytechnic is next in line to host the national secretariat of the association for the 2015/2016 academic year.

However, the management of Ho polytechnic last Tuesday turned down the hosting right, just three days to the election day.

The polytechnic turned down the hosting right to register their disapproval of an aspirant they wanted to be disqualified because he did not meet the academic performance to contest for a position (SRC/JCR) in the polytechnic.

A letter from the polytechnic to GNUPS, through the Dean of Students, Ben Honyenugah, dated 29th April, 2015, quoted the student handbook to back the decision:

'A student should be eligible to stand for election in the polytechnic only when he/she attains a CGPA [Cumulative Grade Points Average] of at least 2.50, at the time of standing for the election.'

In a response, the National Coordinating Secretary of GNUPS, Kwame Amponsah Manu, disagreed and said the requirement was not consistent with the constitution of the union, stating that as far as the constitution of GNUPS was concerned, the aspirant had met the requirements for the election.

Dean of Students Must Go
In order to resolve the impasse, the SRC executives called an emergency General Assembly (GA) meeting last Tuesday night.

A source who was at the GA told DAILY GUIDE that after several deliberations and discussions, the GA arrived at some resolutions.

Among others, the GA demanded that the polytechnic's management should, as a matter of urgency, rescind the decision to reject the hosting of the National Secretariat of GNUPS by the polytechnic and allow for the GNUPS elections to be held without any hindrance(s).

They also demanded the immediate resignation of the Dean of Students, Mr Ben Honyenugah, for unduly interfering in the elections of GNUPS. Mr Honyenugah must also seize being the principal signatory to the SRC account, they demanded.

When contacted, Mr Honyenugah said he was waiting for the Rector of the polytechnic, Prof Emmanuel Sakyi, who was out of town, to return before any comments would be made.

From Fred Duodu, Ho ( [email protected] )