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 the name Kotoka from Ghana's International Airport.
The group argues that keeping the name of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka on a national monument contradicts Ghana's democratic principles, as he played a key role in the country's first coup d'état in 1966. "For 59 years, Ghana has lived with the contradiction of denouncing coups while honouring one of the architects of the first military overthrow of an elected government," the group stated.
Democracy Hub and the CPP insist that the naming of Kotoka International Airport under the General Kotoka Trust Decree, 1969 (NLCD 339) is a state-sanctioned endorsement of unconstitutional rule.
They believe removing the name would be a step towards reaffirming Ghana's commitment to democracy. "It is time for Ghana to make a clear statement that it stands against unconstitutional rule, not just in rhetoric but in practice," the statement added.
