George Afriyie’s bid to contest the upcoming presidential election of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has come to an unfortunate end.
The former GFA Vice President, who was disqualified earlier this month for failing to meet specific criteria and garnering the required support from fellow GFA members, sought to overturn the decision through an appeal.
However, the Elections Committee has now dismissed his appeal, signaling the end of his aspirations for the GFA presidency.
The committee clarified that the criteria cited in Article 13(2)(j) of the Ghana Football Association statutes, 2019, did not apply to George Afriyie’s case. They noted that he had submitted all the necessary documents to support his application, and the disqualification was not related to missing documents like a police clearance certificate or passport picture.
The committee’s decision rested primarily on the fact that George Kwasi Afriyie’s nomination was supported by only four GFA members, rendering it invalid. Consequently, despite his efforts to appeal, his nomination for the presidential election remained invalid, leading to his disqualification from the race.
“We wish to state that this provision is not applicable to the facts of this case. A review of the Checklist for 2023 GFA elections shows that Mr. George Kwasi Afriyie submitted all documents in support of his application. It is not the case that a police clearance certificate or passport picture had not been included which would have warranted the application of Article 8(3) of the Election Regulations.
“The invalidity of any document submitted cannot be cured by reference to Article 8(3) of the Elections Regulations. Indeed, if Mr. George Kwasi Afriyie had submitted an invalid Tax Clearance certificate or an invalid Police Clearance certificate, it would have made his nomination invalid. Mr. George Kwasi Afriyie’s nomination was supported by only four members of the GFA and therefore his nomination is not valid. In the circumstances, we shall dismiss the appeal,” parts of the decision taken by the committee said.
This development marks a significant turn of events in the GFA’s presidential election process. As things stand, Kurt Okraku will go unopposed in the Elective Congress which is scheduled to take place on September 27 at the Redaach Memorial Hotel in Tamale.
