GJA votes today

Members of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) will go to the polls today to elect national and regional executive members to run the affairs of the association for the next three years.

The nationwide election will start at 8 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. at designated polling centres across the country.

While some incumbent executive members are seeking re-election, some new entrants are also trotting on the line to take over the running of the affairs of the association.

Candidates

A total of 13 candidates are contesting for the five national positions, with Mrs Audrey Dekalu from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) as the only candidate who is going into the elections unopposed.

The current President of the GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, is facing stiff competition from Mr Lloyd Evans, a media trainer and consultant; and Mr Johnnie Aryeetey of Ghana Television (GTV).

There are four candidates for the vice-president position: Mrs Linda Asante-Adjei from the GNA, Mrs Tina Aforo-Yeboah, Editor of The Spectator; Francis Kokutse of Indo-Asian News Service and Mathew Mac-

Kwame, formerly of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).

Two candidates are contesting the General Secretary position. New entrant Mr Kofi Yeboah, a freelancer, is challenging the incumbent, Mr David Agbenu, Editor, Ghanaian Times.

Mr Vance Azu, Night Editor of the Daily Graphic, is contesting the organising secretary position with Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, a freelancer.

For the Public Affairs position, Nii Adjei Klu of GBC’s Obonu FM is challenging the incumbent, Ms Mary Mensah of the Daily Graphic.

Polling centers

The Elections Committee has announced that polling centres for Greater Accra and Tema are the Ghana International Press Centre, Graphic Communications Group Limited, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Ghana News Agency (GNA), New Times Corporation and Obonu FM in Tema.

The polling centres for the regions are Graphic Communications Group Limited for the Central Region, Press Centre for both the Western and the Upper West Region, GBC for the Northern Region, Electoral Commission for the Eastern and Brong Ahafo, the Information Services Department for Upper East and GNA for Volta.

The delay

Following an earlier disqualification of some candidates, including Mr Evans and Mr Mac-Kwame, in March 2017, the Elections Dispute Adjudication Committee (EDAC) of the GJA was petitioned but because of the short period for hearing of their petitions, the election was postponed indefinitely from March 31, 2017 at the request of the EDAC.

After hearing the petitions, the EDAC said: "Candidates who were disqualified from contesting the election on the basis other than (i) not being members or (ii) whose membership was below three years should be given the opportunity to contest the elections".

That meant that Mr Evans and Mr Mac-Kwame were to be given the opportunity to contest but the Election Committee re-opened nominations for all prospective candidates.

That move was challenged by four candidates who contended that the move was “unconstitutional.”

The case ended up in court and was later resolved through mediation, which paved the way for the elections today.

Despite the hiccups during the run-off of today’s elections, all the candidates campaigned at the various media houses to canvass for votes. The race will be keen but the contests for the president and vice-president appear to be so tight that some observers have described them as too close to call.