Court Stops NUGS Demo

Sammy Darkwa Binfoh, NUGS President 
An Accra Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice Mustapha Habib Logoh, yesterday declared that the decision to embark on a nationwide demonstration by the National Association of Ghana Students (NUGS) was not properly taken at their central committee meeting (CCM).

He said the decision was not put on the agenda of NUGS in the course of the CCM and so there was no record or quorum before him to show the

pattern of voting or the person that voted in favour of or against the demonstration.

This was after the Secretary of the University Students’ Association of Ghana (USAG), Karim Sulemana, brought an action against NUGS on the grounds that their decision to go on a demonstration was illegal and against their laid down procedures.

According to the judge, in every good meeting by executives, there was the need to prove that the issue formed part of their discussions; but the defendants (NUGS) hadn’t shown an indication of a quorum.

Justice Logoh stated that the decision to meet and decide on behalf of all students of Ghana without a quorum to show which percentage voted for or against the decision, could not be said to have been properly made.

The trial judge stated that he was not stopping the students from demonstrating, as it was their right, but said the decision to do so must be properly arrived at as done in formal meetings.

He stated that a decision to go on a demonstration was a major one, especially when NUGS seemed to be sending all students to the streets of Ghana.

Furthermore, he observed that the student leaders would grow to become political leaders among other professions and so there was the need to remind them to do the proper thing.

Earlier, George Tetteh Wayo, counsel for the plaintiff, who moved the motion against the proposed protest, told the court that there was no quorum at the CCM so the decision taken was illegal and against NUGS’ procedures.

Augustine Asarfo Adjei, counsel for the student body who responded to the motion, stated that the matter was agreed upon and noted that those who held the press conference did so because NUGS had shot down their decision not to demonstrate.

BY Fidelia Achama