The Democracy Hub, in collaboration with the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court of Ghana seeking to remove Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka’s name from Accra International Airport.
Democracy Hub, in a statement noted that the lawsuit aims to correct a historical injustice and challenge the glorification of unconstitutional rule.
“The continued veneration of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka… is an unacceptable contradiction,” the statement read.
The group argued that Kotoka’s actions helped overthrow Ghana’s 1960 Constitution and derail the country’s democratic progress.
“The naming of Kotoka International Airport… is a state-sanctioned endorsement of an illegal regime change,” the statement added.
Democracy Hub emphasized that Ghana’s 1992 Constitution firmly rejects coups d’état, making it a duty of every citizen to defend democracy against military interventions.
“It is time for Ghana to make a clear statement that it stands against unconstitutional rule, not just in rhetoric but in practice.”
The group called on all Ghanaians, civil society organizations, youth activists, and defenders of democracy to support the 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.”
This comes a few days after the chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, suggested renaming the Kotoka International Airport.
He believes the airport’s name should be changed, citing that General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka played no role in its construction.
The NDC chairman recounted the airport’s history, emphasizing that it was originally named Accra International Airport after its development project was launched by President Kwame Nkrumah in 1956.
The airport was later renamed Kotoka International Airport in 1969, in honour of General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a member of the National Liberation Council.
