An ad hoc opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) tertiary institutions lecturers grouping set up to support the party in its anti-new voters’ register duel has been afflicted by confusion.
Those behind the hurriedly constituted grouping labelled ‘Concerned Lecturers from Ghanaian Universities’ included names of persons who it is becoming apparent were neither consulted but their names captured in the membership of the phony grouping nor their political allegiances determined.
The backlash has set the grouping on a self-destructive mode, as rejoinders have piled up leaving the project in limbo.
Overzealous Reps
Those overzealous representatives of the lecturers on the various campuses who compiled the lists have started reaching out to the affected lecturers and begging them for forgiveness for including their names without giving their prior approval to the move.
A distraught Dr. Benjamin Kwofie of the Koforidua Technical University (KTU) Computer Science Department who found his name in the list of membership of the so-called ‘Concerned Lecturers from Ghanaian Universities’ has swiftly dissociated himself from the grouping in a letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor of the KTU, Koforidua, dated 10th June 2020.
In his ‘Dissociation From A Letter Addressed To The EC Of Ghana Purporting To Originate From A So-Called Concerned Lecturers From Ghanaian Universities’ titled correspondence, the aggrieved lecturer observed that “yesterday, the 9th of June, 2020, a letter circulating in the social media purported to originate from a group of concerned lecturers from Ghanaian Universities had names of some lecturers from this institution appended. My name, Dr. Ben Kwofie, was included.
“I wish to state clearly that I know nothing about the group, their intentions or purpose of existence. Neither am I privy to the content of the said letter nor am I party to their agenda.”
The lecturer pointed out that by the inclusion of his name in the list of the so-called grouping, his name has been brought into national disrepute which for him is an unfortunate situation for the image of the institution “and to worsen matters, the name of the institution was appended to my name.”
Continuing, he called on the Vice Chancellor of KTU “to investigate this matter, issue a disclaimer in a press release and write to the Electoral Commission of this country dissociating the institution and its innocent members from such an action.”
Warning Letter
Another letter purportedly written by Dr. Francis Adzei of the University of Ghana has disassociated himself from the ‘missive’ and has called for a retraction and apology from the NDC lecturers.
“Inasmuch as I respect the rights of the authors to comment on any issue of national importance, I would like to entreat them to be guided by the ethical standards of such write-ups, which, among others, include the requirement of informed consent of participants in such an enterprise,” he said.
Begging for Mercy
Another letter has popped up and it bears the name of one Bismark Agbelengor, the NDC agent, who is apologizing profusely to one Prof. Smile Dzisi of the Department of Procurement and Supply Service of KTU.
“I am, by this letter, rendering an unqualified apology to you for wrongly including your name in a list of names of lecturers I submitted to the Concerned University Lecturers, Ghana, in connection with a petition against the compilation of a new Voters Register.”
“I recognize that my failure to seek your prior approval was a grievous omission even though it was completely unintended. I regret, very deeply, any harm that may have been caused to your personal and professional being by this omission on my part. For this reason, I apologize unreservedly for the error. Please, accept this sincere apology from a colleague and a friend.”
TEIN Patrons
Emerging details have suggested that the brains behind the formation of the ad hoc grouping are patrons of the Tertiary Educational Institutions Network (TEIN), a students’ appendage of the NDC.
Some persons whose names appear on the list and who claim to be legal luminaries have had their claims challenged because of the shallow level of their arguments against the compilation of a new voters’ register.
An anonymous writer to the ‘Daily Guide’ states that the issues about the need for a new voters’ register should not be emotion-driven.
He pointed out that they should rather “be discussed based on facts, figures, laws and precedents. I was expecting the lecturers to have advanced well-researched arguments based on their research and professorial stature (forgive me my respected Prof Chair). It looks as if they just joined the masses. It’s sad.
“If these are the people teaching our future leaders, then God help us. My daughter who is now learning law and her mates were pleasantly surprised to find their lecturers names on the list.”
With the now shifted stance of the NDC on the compilation of a new voters’ roll, the anti-new voters’ register lecturers’ group and others who have been busy feeding fat on the campaign to scuttle the electoral project, have palpably been left in the cold.
“Bruised and now licking their wounds, the campaign is over and they could well turn to encourage NDC members to turn up in their numbers to have their details captured in the new voters’ roll,” another observer said cynically.
By A.R. Gomda