The Ghana FA has announced Monday, July 10, 2023 as the date for the 2023 ordinary session of congress. However, Art 31 stipulates that ordinary congress shall be held once every year.
Ghana Sports Online is reporting that certain elements within the Kurt Okraku-led Ghana Football Association (GFA) are surreptitiously attempting to push through amendments to the 2019 Regulations on Elections.
Per the existing Ghana Football Association Regulations, the Monday, July 10, 2023 congress shall be unconstitutional if the session is held without the election of a new GFA President.
Article 32 (2) (Q) states: Article 32 Ordinary Congress Agenda
2. The Agenda for a meeting of Congress shall include the following mandatory items in chronological order:
o) Appointment of independent auditors (if applicable) upon the proposal
of the Executive Council;
p) Dismissal of a member of a body (if applicable);
q) Election of the President;
r) Appointment of the members of the independent committees (if
applicable);
Meanwhile, Art 31 (1) states that Congress shall meet in ordinary session once every Football Season, usually before the commencement of said season.
Furthermore, Art 31 (3) adds that: The formal convocation of Congress shall be made in writing and circulated to the Members of GFA at least seven (7) days before the stipulated date of the meeting of Congress. This convocation shall contain the Agenda, the Activity Report, the Financial Statements and the Auditors’ Report, and any other relevant documents.
However, these Articles run together with the 2019 GFA Regulations on Elections which specifically spells out the formation of a five-member Elections Committee to oversee the electoral process, significantly, the release of an elections roadmap.
It could be recalled that on the fateful day of May 15, 2023, revealed in an Article that Kurt Okraku has been conducting a secret campaign and collecting endorsements from members.
Ghana Sports Online can authoritatively report that Kurt Okraku and his cohorts have laid plots to turn the signatures collected from members into a petition to amend Article 32 (2) (Q) which requires Presidential elections to be conducted during the July 10, 2023 congress.
A club official, whose name has been withheld for fear of victimisation, told Ghana Sports Online that the document he signed didn’t specify the purpose to be for amendments to the statutes. Another mentioned that he declined to sign a document because ‘it didn’t have satisfactory reasons’.
The target for these signatories are the women’s Premier League clubs, Regional Football Association heads, Division One League clubs, and other bodies of the association.
Furthermore, Art 31 (3) adds that: The formal convocation of Congress shall be made in writing and circulated to the Members of GFA at least seven (7) days before the stipulated date of the meeting of Congress. This convocation shall contain the Agenda, the Activity Report, the Financial Statements and the Auditors’ Report, and any other relevant documents.
