A former Deputy Electoral Commissioner (EC) of the University of Ghana Students’ Representative Council (UGSRC), Bright Siaw has clarified that the UGSRC Constitution does not contain any provision that bars non-resident students from contesting for executive positions.
This statement comes in the wake of the recent disqualification of two SRC aspirants, Guru and Egleh, by the Vetting Committee, which has sparked significant controversy.
Speaking during a Radio Univers Twitter Space, Siaw emphasized that the SRC Constitution is clear on the matter.
“There is no constitutional provision in the SRC Constitution that clearly stipulates that if you are a non-resident, you cannot contest for an executive position.”
This clarification challenges the basis for the Vetting Committee’s decision, which cited Article 30 of the constitution—a clause that Bright Siaw argues does not apply to the candidates in question.
Further elaborating, he explained that Article 30 relates to the eligibility of candidates within their own hall of residence and not to their status as non-residents.
The clause states that a candidate must be qualified to contest in their hall to be eligible for an SRC executive position. However, as the disqualified candidates are non-residents and not affiliated with any hall, this clause should not have been applied to them.
“The provision simply states that if you are a resident and don’t qualify to contest in your hall, then you cannot contest as an SRC executive officer. But since the candidates in question are non-residents, that clause doesn’t apply to them. This should put an end to the whole debate about non-residents.”
The former Deputy EC also noted historical precedents where non-resident students have successfully contested and held executive positions within the SRC, highlighting that this practice is not without precedent.
