Social activist group Democracy Hub, alongside the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court of Ghana seeking the removal of the name of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka from the country’s international airport.

The groups argue that maintaining Kotoka’s name on such a significant national landmark goes against the country’s democratic values, as he played a pivotal role in the 1966 coup d’état that overthrew Ghana’s first elected government, led by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

“For 59 years, Ghana has lived with the contradiction of condemning coups while simultaneously honoring one of the key figures behind the first military overthrow of a democratically elected government,” the plaintiffs stated.

Democracy Hub and the CPP argue that naming the airport under the General Kotoka Trust Decree, 1969, is essentially a state endorsement of unconstitutional rule. They view the removal of his name as a necessary step in reinforcing Ghana’s commitment to democracy.

“It is time for Ghana to make a definitive statement that it rejects unconstitutional rule, not just in words but in action,” the groups said in a statement.

The legal challenge, supported by Merton & Everett LLP, is backed by extensive research and archival findings.

Democracy Hub has also called for civil society, youth activists, and democracy defenders to rally behind the cause, framing the case as “more than just a legal battle – it’s a national reckoning with our past.”

Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, who was born on September 26, 1926, and died on April 17, 1967, was one of the military officers responsible for the coup that ousted Nkrumah’s government on February 24, 1966, ushering in the National Liberation Council’s rule.

Source:TheDotNews