George Afriyie, a presidential hopeful in the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has faced disqualification from competing for the highest office in this month’s presidential elections. The GFA Elections Committee has determined that Mr. Afriyie did not meet the committee’s specified eligibility criteria for the upcoming elections.
According to the election guidelines established in 2019, a candidate is required to secure endorsements from five members of the football governing body, and these endorsements must come from authorized signatories of the respective member organizations. Regrettably for Mr. Afriyie, it appears that he failed to garner the necessary support from the football community, as two of his endorsers were either not authorized signatories or declined to endorse him at all.
Techiman Eleven Wonders, acting through Nana Ameyaw Manu, provided a statutory declaration that made no reference to Afriyie’s nomination form. Additionally, Victory Warriors FC, one of the clubs that endorsed the former FA vice president, featured the signature of Jeffrey Asare, who lacked the authority to sign for the club.
Following the removal of these two endorsements, Mr. Afriyie was left with only three valid endorsements, which rendered his nomination form invalid.
The decision raises questions about whether George Afriyie will pursue an appeal, although some individuals familiar with the legal system believe that he should have been granted the opportunity to rectify the issues with his endorsers.