Minority Chief Whip of the University of Ghana Parliament, Leslie David Semekor, has attributed low student participation in Student Representative Council (SRC) elections to alleged external influence on student leadership and concerns over accountability.
Speaking during a discussion on “Rebuilding Confidence in Campus Politics: Addressing Low Student Participation” on Parliament on Air on Radio Univers, Semekor said some students have lost confidence in the electoral process because they believe their concerns are often left unresolved, reducing their motivation to participate in campus elections.
His comments come ahead of the SRC elections for the 2025/2026 academic year, which are scheduled to take place from August 10 to 20, 2026.
He cited what he described as “godfatherism” in student politics as one of the factors contributing to low voter turnout.
“One of the factors that have led to low student turnout in UG politics will have to do with UG godfatherism. They feel like the student leaders they voted for are not the ones controlling what is happening to students on campus. They feel like there are other outgoing students that have the system and they control what goes on on this campus,” he said.
He also raised concerns about accountability and a disconnect between student leaders and the student population.
“The second thing will have to do with students feeling like the SRC is not accountable to them. Thirdly, the students are so disconnected from the administration. They feel like the SRC doesn’t care about their concerns on campus,” he said.
He questioned why students would be motivated to vote when they believe their concerns are not being addressed.
“Tell me why the SRC is not involved in an increase in transportation fares on campus. Tell me why, if students are going through tangible problems on this campus and you are showing no concern about it, why should they now waste their time to vote for another leader?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Deputy Electoral Commissioner of the UGSRC, Frank Papa Archer, identified operational challenges affecting the conduct of student elections, including delays in accessing funds due to bureaucratic processes.
“We encountered several problems and I think UG’s bureaucracy was a problem. Our budget for the elections was not timely, so everything we did was pre-financed. So, we are hoping that going into the next election cycle, when we draw budgets, we want the money to come on time,” he said.
He explained that delays in accessing funds affected preparations, including the procurement of vests for polling agents and the provision of refreshments for security personnel.
Archer also revealed that the Electoral Commission frequently had to deal with complaints from aspirants, which he said sometimes affected its work.
He commended the aspirants for their conduct but urged current and prospective candidates to prioritise dialogue and engagement with the Electoral Commission throughout the electoral process.
“I would like to commend all the aspirants for their comportment, but I think there were too many complaints on their part. They were trying to frustrate the work of the EC. I’ll advise this year’s aspirants to take their time and engage in proper dialogue so that we don’t frustrate the EC so much, because already we have so much work on our hands,” he said.
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Story by Oliver Arthur Acorlor | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
