By: Abdul Shakur Omae
The ongoing leadership tussle within the Dagbon Students’ Association (DASA) has taken a new twist following an official letter from the Northern Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), confirming the appointment of a new set of Interim Executives for the association.
Dated June 9, 2025, and addressed to all Heads of Second-Cycle Institutions in the Northern Region, the letter acknowledges the receipt of communication from the newly appointed Interim leadership of Regional DASA and calls on school heads to grant them full cooperation and access.
The new Interim Executives named in the letter are:
• Alhassan Seidu Tia – President
• Abdulai Abdul Wahid – Chief
• Adam Sisu – General Secretary
• Ibrahim Nurudeen – Public Relations Officer
• Prof. Abdul-Razak Abubakari and Mr. Seidu Zakaria – Patrons
According to the GES, these individuals have been officially mandated to lead Regional DASA and work with stakeholders to promote unity, culture, discipline, and academic excellence among Dagbon students within and outside the region.
This development appears to contradict a press release issued just a day earlier by the existing Regional DASA executives, led by Secretary Sule Iddrisu, who strongly refuted any change in leadership. The existing leaders claimed that attempts by the Tamale Technical University Chapter to reconstitute the regional leadership were unconstitutional and illegitimate.
The prior release emphasized that DASA’s constitution does not require regional executives to be active students, a key point raised by the TaTU chapter to justify their replacement. It also accused the group of acting without consultation and for selfish interests, warning stakeholders to disregard the move.
Now, the GES’s formal recognition of the new Interim leadership raises questions about the future legitimacy of the previously standing executives and how the association will resolve this apparent schism. Sources close to the matter suggest that the involvement of the GES lends significant weight to the newly announced leaders and could pave the way for a formal restructuring of the association at the regional level.
However, supporters of the outgoing leadership argue that the GES’s move may have been influenced by selective information and lacked broad stakeholder consultation, including with founding members and the association’s long-standing patron, Mr. Ibrahim Mahami.
As tensions rise, many are calling for calm and a return to the association’s constitution to resolve the leadership crisis. It remains unclear whether the former executives will legally challenge the GES’s endorsement or seek a compromise through dialogue.
For now, heads of second cycle institutions across the Northern Region are expected to work with the new leadership, as directed by the Regional Director of Education, Mr. Alhassan Alidu Jnr.
The Dagbon Students’ Association, established to unite and advance the welfare of students from Dagbon, now finds itself at a crossroads, one that may determine not just its leadership, but its ability to function as a cohesive and representative body for its members.
