High Court dismisses injunction application against KNUST VC’s tenure extension

A Kumasi High Court has dismissed the application of an interlocutory injunction seeking to halt the tenure extension of the incumbent Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Mrs. Rita Akosua.

The application filed by Clement Kofi Ohene Asare is to prevent the second term appointment of the Vice Chancellor, which commences on Thursday, August 1, 2024.

During proceedings, the 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 prestigious university.

The counsel for the plaintiff argued that the reappointment of the Vice Chancellor was “procedurally wrong” per the statutes of the university in extending the tenure of office.

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”.

However, the counsel’s submissions were met with fierce opposition from the counsel for the defendants – the University and the Vice Chancellor, insisting 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.

But a standoff erupted at the court premises as the bailiff was about to serve the university 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 9,000 Ghana cedis against the applicant.

Speaking on behalf of KNUST, the University Relations Officer, Dr. Noris Bekoe, welcomed the court’s decision and urged the aggrieved parties to resolve the issue amicably without resorting to legal means.

Similarly, a staff of the university has filed another suit on a similar account to prevent the reappointment of the Vice Chancellor.