Incumbent president Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour[right] and Seasoned media trainer and business consultant, Charles Yao MawusiThe Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) is set to go polls to elect its Regional and National Executives to chair the affairs to the Association for the next three years. The highly anticipated elections is expected to be held-across all the 16 Regions of the country, the elections committee of the association have vetted and approved 62 candidates with 13 candidates vying for National positions, 49 candidates also contesting for the respective Regional positions.
Over 800 media professionals across the country are expected to cast their ballots to determine the leadership of the Association.
According to the election committee, the polls starts at 8am and ends at 5pm. They encourage all eligible voters to turnout to cast their ballots as the Association undergoes its democratic processes of electing the leadership of the association, to serve as the mouthpiece of media professionals in the country.
Candidates ticking on the national ballot will be fiercely contested as candidates toured every nook and cranny of the country to canvass for votes and to showcase their blue-print policies and ideas to sway the electorate to cast their votes in favour of them.
Among the fiercely contesting positions is the national president’s position, which is keenly contested by the incumbent president Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour and seasoned media trainer and a business consultant, Charles Yao Mawusi. This neck-to-neck contest is what some seasoned political analyst calls “battle fit for the gods”.
While Mr Dwumfour is campaigning for continuity to consolidate his legacy of protecting media freedom and security of journalists, Mr Mawusi has head-up his sleeve issues of transparent leadership, mobilising funds for media development, as well as capacity building and training of journalists to intellectually build their capacities towards executing their constitutional duties professionally.
The Vice-President’s position presents another interesting angle as two familiar contenders – Daily Graphic’s Mary Mensah, and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation’s (GBC’s) Rebecca Ekpe, both contenders faced same battle in the previous election as they were on the same ticket vying for public affairs director of the association, Rebecca Akpe won that battle. Interesting dynamics unfolds as they both go for Vice Presidential position.
In the Regional executive positions – Chairman, Vice-chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer, 17 out of the 49 candidates are vying for those positions in the Ashanti, Volta, Central, Upper East, Upper West, and Eastern regions, while 31 of the candidates are going unopposed which they are deemed legally elected by law following GJA constitution.
