A social activist group, Democracy Hub in collaboration with the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court seeking the removal of Kotoka’s name from Accra International Airport.
The suit avers that the continuous glorification of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka by way of maintaining his name on the airport goes against Ghana’s democratic tents and rather glorifies coup d’état.
It says the actions forms part of a broader effort to correct historical injustice, challenge the glorification of unconstitutional rule, and reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to democratic governance.
The group argues that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana firmly rejects coups d’état, making it a duty of every citizen to defend democracy against military interventions.
“However, for 59 years, Ghana has lived with the contradiction of denouncing coups d’état while continuing to honour one of the architects of the first military overthrow of an elected government,” the group pointed out.
It says 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 naming of Kotoka International Airport, enshrined under the General Kotoka Trust Decree, 1969 (NLCD 339), 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,” it argues.
Democracy Hub also expressed its profound gratitude to the team of lawyers at Merton & Everett LLP for their industry, commitment, and painstaking work in making this case possible.
This lawsuit is the result of rigorous and painstaking legal and archival research.
Democracy Hub called on all Ghanaians, civil society organisations, youth activists, and defenders of democracy to support this legal challenge.
“This is more than a court case – it is a national reckoning with our past and a reaffirmation of our commitment to the rule of law. The fight for democracy is the fight for Ghana’s future,” it added.
Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, born September 26, 1926 – April 17, 1967, was a Ghanaian military officer who was a member of the ruling National Liberation Council (NLC) which came to power in a military coup d’état on February 24, 1966.
The NLC overthrew the government of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of the Republic.
By Gibril Abdul Razak