GRASAG National EC rejects circulating election results, condemns violence
The office of the Electoral Commission (EC) of the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG) National has refuted claims that it has officially declared results from its recent national elections.
According to the EC, any results being circulated online or through other channels are fake and should be disregarded.
The elections, held on March 5, 2025, at Ensign Global University, were marred by violence, intimidation, and alleged interference by National Security operatives.
The GRASAG National EC, Manaf Abdallah, made the announcement through a press statement released yesterday, in which it condemned the disruptions and reaffirmed its commitment to a free and fair electoral process.
The EC emphasised that it had not closed the polls, supervised the counting, or declared any winners, rendering any unofficial results null and void.
“Given the irregularities, any results being circulated are invalid and should be disregarded,” the statement read.
“The individuals who unlawfully opened ballot boxes, counted, and declared some candidates as elected executives acted outside the established electoral process.”
“The sanctity of our democratic process must be safeguarded from any form of external interference,” the EC stated.
It also assured students that necessary steps would be taken to restore the integrity of the electoral process.
The election was thrown into chaos, following reports that National Security operatives, allegedly acting under the orders of the Minister of Youth Empowerment and Development, who doubles as the National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Opare Addo, stormed the venue to influence the outcome.
According to eyewitnesses, the operatives, some of whom were allegedly dressed in military uniforms, brandished firearms and intimidated delegates.
Eyewitnesses report that heavily armed men, led by Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1), Yakubu, of the National Security Secretariat-Blue Gate, and Bernard Dartey also known as Kawawa, a Director of Operations at the NDC Youth Wing stormed the venue wielding Scorpion and AK-47 rifles.
Video evidence shows that the armed security operatives were standing by the ballot boxes as the students casted their votes. The operatives are also accused of vandalising election materials and preventing students from entering the premises to cast their votes.
Shots were allegedly fired, and several students reportedly sustained injuries.
Further reports indicated that Bernard Dartey, admitted acting under instructions from Mr Opare Addo.
Allegations also implicate individuals associated with the youth wing, including Director of Students Affairs, Bright Baah Egyir, Richard Class-Peters, Anthony Baah Danquah, and Sharif Mohammed Ayedakew, who were reportedly armed with pistols.
Their alleged mission was to ensure that Jimmy Mawuse Adangbe, a student from the University of Ghana, won the presidential race at all costs.
The three presidential candidates are Adangbe, Baba Suleman, and Favour Aikins.
The presence of National Security operatives has sparked outrage among students and GRASAG leadership, who insist that the intervention was unnecessary.
The unarmed police officers who the GRASAG executive formally invited to provide security were sidelined by the armed security operatives. According to the police they neither called for reinforcement nor invited the national security operatives
Two of the vehicles identified at the scene are a white Nissan Hardbody pickup with registration numbers AP 566-24 and a military pickup with registration number 44 GA 33.
Amid growing concerns, some of the students have demanded a full government investigation into the security issue, accountability for those involved in voter suppression, and an annulment of the elections to allow for a fresh and transparent voting process
BY RAISSA SAMBOU