The outgoing president of the Ghana Union of Professional Students (GUPS), Joyland Dedey Mensah, has been sued over an attempt to ensure that the election of Eunice Esi Esaaba Essien as the new president is not recognised.
The suit filed by Ms. Essien, alongside her manager, Anum Alfred Adjetey, at the High Court in Accra, is seeking eight reliefs against the defendants – Joyland Dedey Mensah (outgoing president), GUPS, and Kwaku Appiah Boakye (another president-elect) as first, second and third defendants respectively.
Per the writ issued late last year, the plaintiffs are seeking, among other things, a declaration that the 2nd plaintiff is the validly elected president of the union.
The plaintiffs also want a declaration that the election held on December 21, 2025, electing a new president (Kwaku Appiah Boakye) is null and void.
The plaintiffs are also seeking the recovery of the sum of Thirty-Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢35,000.00) and the interest on the said sum at the prevailing commercial rate from the date of payment until the date of final judgment.
In addition to the declaration, the plaintiffs are asking for an “order of injunction restraining the 3rd defendant from holding himself out as the president of the union.”
They also want an order nullifying the election held on December 21, 2025, and its purported results electing the 3rd defendant as the union president.
“An order restraining the individuals who participated in the illegal elections conducted by the union secretariat from referring to themselves as executive-elect or holding themselves out in any official capacity.
“An order restraining the outgoing executives from organizing or participating in any handing-over ceremony of the illegally elected individuals,” the plaintiffs are asking from the court.
Claim statement
In the statement of claim attached to the reliefs, the 1st plaintiff (Anum Alfred Adjetey) is a manager of the 2nd plaintiff while the 2nd plaintiff (Eunice Esi Esaaba Essien) is a member of GUPS.
The 1st defendant, Joyland Dedey Mensah (outgoing president), is the immediate past president of the 2nd defendant, GUPS.
It is stated that the 2nd defendant – GUPS, is a registered union under the laws of Ghana, whose administration and governance are conducted by its officers, including the 1st defendant.
The 1st plaintiff avers that, acting as the manager for the 2nd plaintiff, he paid a total sum of Thirty-Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢35,000.00) to the 1st defendant on behalf of the 2nd plaintiff.
This payment was for institutional dues and congress expenses to enable the 2nd plaintiff and other members to participate in an elective congress of the 2nd defendant.
The 1st plaintiff avers that, upon receipt of the said sum, the 1st defendant issued a total of twenty (20) receipts to the 1st plaintiff as proof of payment.
The 1st plaintiff avers that, at the time of payment, the 1st defendant assured the plaintiffs that the election for which the payment was made would take place on the same day.
Relying on this assurance, the plaintiffs made the payment, and contrary to the said assurance, the 1st defendant, shortly after receiving the payment, announced that the election had been postponed to the 14th day of December, 2025.
Following the postponement, the 1st plaintiff requested a refund of the GH¢35,000.00 from the 1st defendant.
The 1st defendant intimated that she had already utilized the funds and could not make a refund. Instead, she proposed a different venue for the election and assured the plaintiffs that the receipts already issued would remain valid for voting at the rescheduled congress.
Subsequently, the 1st defendant informed the plaintiffs that the new venue she had procured at Lakeside University was not approved. She then instructed the plaintiffs to find and secure a new venue for the election at their own cost and effort.
In compliance, the plaintiffs sought and obtained permission from the authorities of Knustford University to use a portion of the university’s car park for the conduct of the election on the scheduled date.
Drama
On December 13, 2025, the plaintiffs were contacted by the authorities of Knustford University, who informed them that the 1st defendant had sent a letter to the university unilaterally postponing the election to a later date.
Undeterred and relying on the permission duly granted by Knustford University, the plaintiffs proceeded with the election on the scheduled date.
The 1st defendant arrived at the venue with a team of police officers in an attempt to halt the proceedings, falsely claiming the event was unauthorized.
The police officers departed upon verification that the plaintiffs had indeed obtained the necessary permission from the university authorities.
The election was successfully concluded, and the 2nd plaintiff was duly elected as the president of the 2nd defendant’s union. New executives for the 2nd defendant union were also duly elected.
After the election, the 1st defendant maliciously made public statements alleging that her permission and consent were not sought for the election and that she did not support the newly elected executives because she did not partake in the process.
These statements were calculated to undermine the legitimacy of the election and the plaintiffs.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
