MUSIGA elections holds tomorrow

About 500 delegates across the country are expected to vote when the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) hold its national and regional elections tomorrow, August 8, 2023.

Tomorrow’s elections, which will be supervised by the Electoral Commission, is coming off after years of court injunctions and internal bickering delayed it.

Contesting for Presidency are Bessa Simons (Acting MUSIGA President) and Ras Caleb Appiah Levi (Greater Accra Regional Chairman for MUSIGA).

Gospel musician Thomas Yawson, will be contesting unopposed for the 1st Vice President position.

Stella Ganyo and gospel artiste Abena Ruthy are vying for the 2nd Vice President seat while Samuel Kofi Agyemang and Francis Derman Dogbatse are contesting the General Secretary position.

Chizzy Wailer, Gifty Oppong Ghansah, Edward Edusa Eyison are also going unopposed for the National Organiser, Welfare Officer and Treasurer positions respectively.

In the Greater Accra Region, the elections will be held at the Accra Tourist Information Centre (ATIC).

The process for tomorrow’s elections started with the opening of the voters register on Monday, March 20, which ended on April 3. The new directive was intended to allow members to check their status and eligibility.

 Thereafter, the new voters register for the election was compiled from April 4 to April 18. This was also followed by the exhibition of the new voter register from April 20 to April 23.

Contestants had the period between April till today to run their campaigns for the elections.

The upcoming elections which was supposed to have been held in 2019 had been stalled with many challenges including allegations of Bessa Simons, who is the Acting President of MUSIGA, working to get the outcome of the elections in his favour.

However, in an interview with Graphic Showbiz in May this year, Bessa Simons told Graphic Showbiz that his role as the acting President of MUSIGA was to fill a vacuum and to ensure the continuous administration of the union.

“We have an election committee, led by Mr Peter Marfo, who are doing a good job. They are free handedly conducting the election. I’m just doing what all the aspirants are doing and nothing else. Everything any aspirant is doing is the same thing I’m doing.

“Before the court ruling, the Arbitration Committee also set the rules and the Election Committee will be guided by the constitution,” he said at the time.

Related article: I’m not in charge of MUSIGA elections -Bessa Simons