On Saturday, March 8, 2025, the Ghana Weightlifting Federation’s Elective Congress was abruptly halted by National Security operatives after some executives defied a court injunction and attempted to proceed with the election process.
Background and Legal Disputes
Despite being served with an injunction from the Accra High Court, delegates and stakeholders gathered at the Media Center of the Accra Sports Stadium for the congress.
A board member aspirant, Marie Agbah-Hughes, spoke to Joy Sports after the congress was stopped.
“The electoral committee was essentially running an illegal election because the board’s term had expired on February 18, but they were still pushing ahead with the election,” she began her narration.
“I believe the opposing party, led by Micheal Nii Annan Yarboi, filed the injunction because they were trying to do things the right way, while the other side was trying to do the wrong thing.
“There was some commotion because they still wanted to hold the election despite the injunction. I contested to be a board member because I’m tired of the games the current board plays and how they take the athletes’ lives for granted.
“I wanted to be part of the change, and I was looking forward to the election.”
Off the record, Agbah-Hughes alleged that the injunction was orchestrated by Joseph Sintim, a board member of the incumbent administration.
Independent checks by Joy Sports into the GWF’s constitution reveal that, according to Clause 12.4, a minimum of four weeks’ notice must be given before convening an ordinary Congress meeting, with clear details on the venue, date, time, and agenda.
Clause 12.5 further outlines the composition of Congress, which includes representatives from regional weightlifting associations, the coaches’ and officiating officials’ associations, past weightlifters, educational institutions, security services, affiliated clubs, the expatriate community, and the federation’s executive board.
Additionally, any Ghanaian holding a position within the Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA), the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation (CWF), or the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) is recognized as a member. Non-accredited persons may attend Congress at the president’s discretion but do not hold voting rights.
Denial of Injunction by Incumbent President
Despite these claims, the incumbent president of the federation, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, denied the existence of any injunction when speaking to JoyNews.
“There has not been any injunction. No one has served any weightlifting official, the electoral commissioner, or anyone else with an order or even an application for an injunction. Nobody has served us,” Shaib said.
He also questioned the involvement of National Security, asking, “When did National Security start getting involved in federation activities? Why would more than 80 people, 80 soldiers, be needed?”
However, background checks indicate that approximately six National Security officials were deployed to the Accra Sports Stadium to prevent chaos. Additionally, about seven police officers and bodyguards, allegedly sent by Jerry Ahmed Shaib to monitor the election process, were reportedly present but lacked formal authorization from the Police Service.
Opposition from Presidential Aspirant
Michael Nii Yarboi Annan, a presidential aspirant for the Ghana Weightlifting Federation, also addressed the issue.
“In fact, it was the athletes who wrote a petition to the board, stating that they had not received notice for elections. It took the board two weeks after that petition—around February 15—before a notice for the elections and other arrangements were finally issued,” Annan explained.
He further clarified, “This meant the elections would be held in March. They had sent the notice earlier, but the election guidelines only came up on February 18. The 21-day notice fell outside of the four-year tenure. So, how can your tenure end on February 18, and you still want to hold the election after that? How can you hold an election on March 8 and still consider yourself president?”
Political Tensions and Electoral Uncertainty
It is worth noting that both key aspirants in the federation’s elections have affiliations with Ghana’s two major political parties—Michael Nii Yarboi is linked to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), while Jerry Ahmed Shaib is associated with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Joy Sports spoke off the record with Madam Naa Odofoley Nortey, a legal representative of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and a member of the Ghana Weightlifting Federation’s electoral commission. She confirmed that upon receiving notice of the injunction, she had no choice but to halt the election process.
Voices from the Weightlifting Community
Meanwhile, within Ghana’s weightlifting community, there is growing discontent, with many calling for change. Joy Sports spoke to Daniel Darko, the coach who guided Winnifred Ntumi to Ghana’s first African Games medal in weightlifting.
“As for the election, we don’t want it to happen today [Saturday, March 8, 2025], because the board members who want to vote don’t understand our problems or what we go through,” Darko said. “We’ve been here, and even for the past four years, we don’t know if they exist. We don’t know them, and now they’ve come to vote. They don’t understand the challenges we face, but we do. So, we don’t want any board member here to vote.”
He added, “We, the coaches and lifters, should be the ones voting. The individual [Jerry Ahmed Shaib] fighting to be re-elected even said he doesn’t know what he has gained from weightlifting. We don’t get the support or the travel incentives we need. We haven’t traveled for the past four years, and today, we say we don’t want you to be our president anymore. But he doesn’t want to accept that. Now he’s gone to look for board members to vote. We’re happy the election was stopped by the injunction. Thank you.”
While it remains unclear why so many members are demanding change, the chaos and verbal conflicts surrounding the elections suggest a deep-seated dissatisfaction within the weightlifting community.
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