A social activist group, Democracy Hub, in collaboration with the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court of Ghana seeking the removal of Kotoka’s name from Accra International Airport.
In a statement released by Democracy Hub, it was stated that the legal action is “part of a broader effort to correct a historical injustice, challenge the glorification of unconstitutional rule, and reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to democratic governance.”
The statement argues that the legal action is in line with the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which firmly rejects coups d’état in the country.
Their decision is based on the fact that Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, one of the leading members of the National Liberation Council (NLC), was among those who spearheaded Ghana’s first-ever coup d’état on February 24, 1966.
“However, for 59 years, Ghana has lived with the contradiction of denouncing coups d’état while continuing to honor one of the architects of the first military overthrow of an elected government.
“The continued veneration of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, the man whose actions helped overthrow Ghana’s 1960 Constitution and derail the country’s democratic progress, is an unacceptable contradiction,” the statement added.
The activists are of the view that the name Kotoka on Ghana’s International Airport is “a state-sanctioned endorsement of an illegal regime change.”
“It is time for Ghana to make a clear statement that it stands against unconstitutional rule, not just in rhetoric but in practice,” Democracy Hub stated.
