Lateness in reporting for duty and arrival of electoral materials has been blamed for the delay in the start of the third Junior Common Room Council (JCRC) Elections of the three halls of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development.
As at 8:30am, a check across the polling stations created at the three halls; Autonomy, Opoku Ware II and Atwima, revealed that, officers, designated to work with the interim Electoral Commission of the University were either late or no where to be found whiles students await the commencement of the process.
The delay, according to the Presiding Officers stationed at the polling stations was orchestrated by the late distribution of ballot papers and relevant equipment that will facilitate the process.
Presiding Officer for Polling Station B for the Atwima Hall, Kennedy Ameyaw Kissi said, “We’re encountering challenges so we started around 9. We had to go and bring the ballot papers and then most of the EC officials didn’t come early because some were from afar”.
The challenge as explained by Mr. Ameyaw Kissi was widely spread across the polling station with many polling stations having to start the process after 9.30am.
At Autonomy Hall, Presiding Officer for Polling Station B, Samuel Twumasi revealed that the situation has compelled them to push further the closing time to 5.00pm from the original 4.00pm accepted by all parties.
“We made it clear to the aspirants that though we were supposed to end the elections at 4pm, the situation has compelled us to end the elections at 5.00pm” Mr. Twumasi disclosed.
However, our checks at Atwima Hall have revealed that residents of the hall had protested about the officials who were delegated to supervise the election, a situation that has compelled administrator to change the officials and appoint persons affiliated to the hall.
Similarly, through the vigilance of some students who are affiliated to Opoku Ware II Hall, one person has been arrested and handed over to the Ghana Police Service for allegedly impersonating an official of the hall during the voting process.
The JCRC elections, conducted on Thursday, February 23, 2023 is the third of its kind since the inception of the University which was earlier an affiliate of the University of Education, Winneba.
Story by Dorah Yeboah