The Ghana Swimming Association’s scheduled Congress at the Accra Digital Centre on Saturday descended into chaos and was eventually called off following a court injunction secured by a group calling itself the Concerned Stakeholders of Ghana Swimming.

Security personnel from the Ghana Police Service, National Security, and the Ghana Army arrived as early as 8 a.m. to enforce the injunction.

The plaintiffs were among the first at the venue to ensure compliance, while a few defendants turned up around 11 a.m.

The congress was meant to elect new executives to lead the association for the next four years.

Calm prevailed initially until the incumbent General Secretary, Mohammed Muniru, arrived with his team and insisted that the congress go ahead.

Yaa Danso, who identified herself as the association’s electoral commissioner, also protested the security’s decision to halt proceedings, arguing they had not officially received the injunction.

“We’ve not received anything. So, we have to come and do what we have to do — comply with whatever job has been given to us. Now, we come here, and DSP Dokenu says he has received orders from the regional commander — a court order.

“ I said, there is no court order. Show me the court order that prohibits us from holding the election now. And you tell us there is no court order, but we can’t hold the election? It’s orders from above.

“National Security is here. They are hindering us. As of now, I do not know the basis on which they are preventing people from holding this election. And if Ghana is truly a country of democracy and the rule of law, I believe those police officers should be called to order.”

However, some senior officials privately confirmed to Joy Sports that they had indeed been served, which explained their absence.

Tensions escalated into a scuffle between security officers, officials, and delegates.

Plaintiff and presidential aspirant Daniel Opare later said halting the congress marked the first step toward achieving the reforms they are seeking.

“Let’s take away the fact that I am contesting; I am a stakeholder. If I have challenges and I send an order, an email, or an official letter to you, you are supposed to respond. Prior to this Congress, we sent a number of petitions to this Ghana Swimming Association executive, and nobody has responded. Who does that?

“Ghana Swimming Association is for all of us. We are saying that we’ve had enough of them. We want new people to take over. We want new people to take charge. You get it? And that’s the simple thing we need from them. But the way forward is simple — we are going to let the court know our challenges, and we’ll settle the issues there.”

When Joy Sports attempted to interview Muniru’s team for their response, security accosted the reporter on the ground, nearly damaging his equipment until a senior police officer intervened.

The plaintiffs are calling for a reform of the voter registry, claiming that the incumbent plans to use it for election rigging and must be held accountable for the funds spent in the last four years.

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Source: myjoyonline.com
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