RAG urged to reconsider decision on elections

Mr George K. Manu, an executive member of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG), has appealed to Congress - the highest decision-making body of referees in Ghana, to take a second look at the decision taken by the national executive committee to nullify elections organized by the regional branch.

According to him, the Executive Committee erred in declaring the election results null and void, since all the legal procedures were duly followed in electing the new executives.

“As a concerned member of the Association, I think what the Executive Committee has done is a travesty of justice and a breach of the RAG’s own constitution,” he told the media in Kumasi.

The decision by RAG’s followed a petition filed by one Eric Owusu-Mensah, a losing candidate in the elections, challenging the eligibility of some of the people who voted in the elections, held in December, last year.

The petitioner’s argument was that those people who voted by proxy violated Article 22 ‘A’ of the RAG’s constitution, which allowed only registered members present to vote in an election.

The Executive Committee, after a consideration of the petition, upheld it, and wrote a letter to the regional branch, calling for fresh elections to be held.

Mr. Manu argued that, the basis for the cancellation of the elections lacked credibility, since there were some exemptions under the article, which allowed referees on special duties to be represented and voted on their behalf.

He appealed to the Congress, to intervene in ensuring that the right thing was done.

This, he said, was critical to advance the good cause of the referees.