Mr Frederick Lartey Otu pulled a historic feat to become the longest serving president of the Ghana Taekwondo Federation (GTF) after he was re-elected for a consecutive third term at the federation’s Elective Congress held at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday.
Mr Lartey Otu retained the seat after a tough contest from Mr Charles Tsibo Cromwell, who served as his Vice President in the previous administration.
That boldness and courage earned the respect and commendation from the re-elected president in his victory speech which also reminded the rank and file of the federation to come together to develop and promote the sport.
Mr Lartey Otu won the two-horse presidential race after obtaining a total number of 16 votes, leaving Tsibo Cromwell with a total of 11.
The slot for the Vice President position was equally competitive as Dr Hamidu Abdel-Fatao from the Volta Region put in a spirited contest but lost to Greater Accra Region’s Maxwell Theodore Alornyo as they polled 10 and 14 votes, respectively.
The third candidate, Martin Prince Oppan from the Western Region garnered a paltry three votes.
The race for two board membership was contested by four delegates namely, Kankpenuba Peter N. Wisdom, Simon Koku Gluikpor, Terrance Asare and Stephen Amegashie, all representing the Upper West, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions. In the end, Wisdom Kankpenuba and Simon Koku Gluikpor polled 16 each to emerge winners.
The exercise was conducted by a three-member vetting and election committee made up of Mr Lawrence Osei Boateng-Chairman, Mr Muniru Kassim, a representative of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and Mr Hussein Addy, representing the National Sports Authority (NSA).
The election was supervised by an official from the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
But for a few back-and-forth deliberations over the exclusion of delegates from the Western Region for late submission of delegates list and concerns over legitimacy of Central regional delegates, the process was fair and peaceful.
In his victory speech, Mr Lartey Otu thanked the delegates for the confidence reposed in him by electing him for a third term, one he described as a ‘Legacy term.’
He said despite the seeming division in ranks during the campaign period, it was important for members to close their ranks to work together, reminding members that the GTF was a family of integrity.
He appointed Mr Wisdom Kankpenuba as the new Secretary General of the federation and announced that other appointments would follow soon, noting that the next congress of the federation would be held next year.
Swearing the new executive into office, Mr Richard Akpokavie, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) also commended the Taekwondo family for going through the process smoothly.
He charged the new executive to set a target to ensure that a number of their athletes qualify to the Olympic Games in two years’ time.
“Every decision of this executive must gear towards the welfare and progress of the athletes. They are very key in whatever we do. Let’s ensure that the athletes qualify to represent Ghana at the highest stage of the sport,” he said.
BY ANDREW NORTEY
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