The Kumasi High Court 7 has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the reappointment of the Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson.
Clement Kofi Ohene Asare filed the application to prevent the second term appointment of Prof. Dickson, which commences on August 1, 2024.
At the hearing on July 30, the presiding judge, Justice Frederick Tetteh described the application as lacking merit and further questioned the status of the plaintiff who had indicated in his application to be an alumnus of the University.
Mr. Ohene Asare failed to convince the court of being an alumnus of the university.
During proceedings at the Kumasi High Court, Lawyer for the plaintiff, Annis Moghtar Mohayideen, argued that the reappointment of the Vice Chancellor was “procedurally wrong” per the statutes of the University.
According to the plaintiff’s counsel, the procedure for the appointment wherein a seven-member Search Committee is constituted to propose an ideal candidate for consideration and the advertisement of the vacancy of the Vice Chancellor position for the application of other viable candidates, were not duly followed.
But this was met with fierce opposition from the lawyer for the defendants- the University and the Vice Chancellor, Thaddeus Sory, who insisted that they complied with the reappointment statutes.
Shortly after the court dismissed the injunction application, the plaintiff filed a stay of execution and appeal against the defendants.
A standoff erupted at the premises of the court as the bailiff tried to serve the writ on the University’s lawyers.
The lawyers argued that they needed to be served officially at the University and not the court premises.
The court awarded a cost of GHC9,000 against the applicant.
Speaking on behalf of KNUST, the University Relations Officer, Dr. Daniel Noris Bekoe was happy about the court’s decision and urged the aggrieved parties to resolve the issue amicably and not resort to legal actions.
However, the plaintiff, Clement Kofi Ohene Asare was dissatisfied about the outcome of the judgment.
Meanwhile, a staff of the University has filed another suit on a similar account to injunct the reappointment of the Vice Chancellor.
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By Benjamin Aidoo
