17/01/2026
SDA PASTOR ACCUSED OF FORCING HIMSELF AS GUPS PRESIDENT
Accra, January 14, 2026
The Ghana Union of Professional Students (GUPS) has flatly rejected what it describes as an attempt by a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) pastor to force himself into the presidency of the Union, declaring the entire process illegal, unconstitutional, and void.
At a General Assembly meeting held on January 14, 2026, at the Accra Institute of Technology, delegates of the Union unanimously ruled that Kwaku Boakye Appiah, an SDA pastor and former SRC President of Valley View University College, has no legitimate mandate to lead GUPS.
According to the Assembly, Pastor Boakye Appiah’s claim to the presidency arose from an election that did not follow constitutional procedures and was therefore null and of no effect.
The Assembly stressed that no individual, regardless of religious standing or past student leadership experience, can impose himself on the Union.
In a dramatic development, the General Assembly also removed the outgoing President, Joyland Dede Mensa, accusing her of conspiring with the Seventh-day Adventist Church's pastor to organize and supervise an illegal and unrecognized election.
The Assembly issued a stern public warning, urging the general public, stakeholders, corporate bodies, and businesspersons to completely dissociate themselves from the self-acclaimed president, warning that any engagement with him does not carry the authority or recognition of GUPS.
The GA further called on the Seventh-day Adventist Church to call its pastor to order, emphasizing the need for discipline and exemplary conduct, especially for individuals who seek to influence student leadership.
Despite the strong condemnation, the Assembly maintained that constitutional democracy remains open to all, encouraging Pastor Kwaku Boakye Appiah to contest in the 2027 GUPS elections should he genuinely wish to lead, but only through due process.
The actions taken at the Accra meeting send a clear message: GUPS will not tolerate political imposition, religious interference, or constitutional abuse, and leadership of the Union cannot be seized—it must be earned.