NUGS President dragged to court over tenure extension, electoral irregularities

Tension is brewing in the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) as its President, Kyeremeh Oppong Daniel, and his executives have been taken to court by union members for overstaying their tenure.

The lawsuit filed at the Accra High Court alleges that the President and his team failed to hand over power in the first week of September, contrary to the union's constitution. Additionally, they are accused of not organizing elections on August 24, as required by the constitution.

The NUGS constitution, specifically Article 13.e.i, ii, and iii, outlines the procedures for convening the National Annual Residential Congress. The article states that the President, in consultation with the National Executive Officers (NEO), must convene the congress before August 14. If this deadline is missed, the NEO must convene congress before August 24. Failure to comply with these provisions empowers the bloc heads to assume leadership and organize the congress within two weeks.

The plaintiffs also cited the failure to publish and provide the Voters Register for previous and pending elections, violating the constitution's three-week period. With elections slated for two days away, this injunction has cast uncertainty over the planned Emergency Congress, initially scheduled for Saturday.

The NUGS has enjoyed a relatively stable and peaceful period in recent years, but this development may tarnish that record. As the union prepares for the Emergency Congress, members are eagerly awaiting the President's response to the allegations.