Union Council dismisses Isaac Acquah

Union Council has passed a vote of no confidence in Isaac Acquah, the Communications Officer. 21 votes were given for the motion, 17 against and no abstentions.

On the Tuesday of referenda week, Acquah sent an all-member email to nearly 20,000 students which said: “Referenda week is upon us and we are going to have some big issues up for you to decide upon.

“None is bigger than the policy to secure our Unions independence. Others include removing the sponsorship ban, so any club and society can choose for themselves which companies they can get money from.”

The resolution passed at Union Council claimed this was a violation of referendum regulations in the Union’s constitution, as it could be seen to encourage students to vote a particular way on referenda motions. Union sabbatical officers “may not use the facilities provided by their office for campaigning in any referenda” according to referendum regulation 10.20.

The Union Council motion stated: “We believe that these infractions have brought the office of Communications Officer and the Union as a whole into disrepute.”

Acquah will now be dismissed from his post, but has the opportunity to appeal the decision. A Facebook group has already been set up in support of Acquah.

This is the first time in Union history that a sabbatical officer has received a vote of no confidence.