The Vice-Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, has filed a suit at the Accra High Court challenging what he describes as his unlawful removal from office and seeking a declaration that he remains the university’s only lawfully serving Vice-Chancellor.

In a writ of summons filed on March 1, 2026, under Suit No. GJ/0487/2026, Prof. Afoakwa is asking the court to nullify the decision to terminate his appointment and restrain the university and other defendants from interfering with his tenure.

The suit names four defendants: GCTU, the Chairman of its Governing Council, Divine Kpetigo, Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor Ebenezer Malcalm, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

In his statement of claim, the Vice-Chancellor argues that the process used to terminate his contract violated both statutory provisions and constitutional guarantees of fair hearing.

According to court documents, GCTU first appointed him Vice-Chancellor on March 1, 2021. The university later extended his contract in August 2024 for a further four-year term running from March 1, 2025, to February 28, 2029, an offer he says he formally accepted before the end of that month.

However, Prof. Afoakwa claims he later received letters dated February 3 and February 26, 2026, informing him that his employment had been terminated with effect from February 28, 2026.

He maintains that the decision was taken without prior notice of any wrongdoing, without formal charges and without being invited to respond to any allegations.

“The arbitrary exercise of discretionary power by the 1st and 2nd Defendants seeking to purportedly terminate the Plaintiff's contract of employment without hearing the Plaintiff is simply unlawful,” the affidavit accompanying the suit states.

The Vice-Chancellor contends that the actions taken against him breach Section 9(24) of the GCTU Act 2020 as well as Article 19(13) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, both of which emphasise the right to a fair hearing before adverse decisions are taken.

Prof. Afoakwa is therefore asking the court to grant several reliefs, including a declaration that his removal from office is a nullity and that he has never been lawfully relieved of his position.

He is also seeking an order restraining the defendants from interfering with his employment for the remainder of his contract and a declaration that Prof. Malcalm does not legitimately occupy the Vice-Chancellor’s position.

In addition, he is claiming damages for distress, ridicule, humiliation and shame he says he has suffered as a result of the termination, with the amount to be determined by the court.

The suit further argues that GTEC became a party to the dispute after a letter dated March 3, 2026, allegedly confirmed the commission’s acquiescence in the termination decision.

Alongside the main suit, Prof. Afoakwa has filed a motion for an interlocutory injunction under Order 25 of CI 47 to maintain the status quo while the substantive case is heard.

The application is scheduled to be moved before the court on March 24, 2026.