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The Democracy Hub, in partnership 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 the country’s main international airport.
The group argues that naming the airport after Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key figure in Ghana’s first coup d’état in 1966, contradicts the nation’s commitment to democracy and constitutional governance.
In a statement, the activists condemned the continued association of a national landmark with a military figure who helped overthrow Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s democratically elected government.
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“For nearly six decades, Ghana has publicly opposed military takeovers, yet we continue to glorify one of the very people who led the country’s first coup. This contradiction must end.”
They argue that the General Kotoka Trust Decree, 1969 (NLCD 339), which legally named the airport, represents an endorsement of military rule, something they say should have no place in a modern democratic Ghana.
The lawsuit, backed by a team of legal experts from Merton & Everett LLP, follows extensive research into Ghana’s historical, legal, and constitutional framework. The plaintiffs believe that removing Kotoka’s name would send a strong national message against unconstitutional rule.
“Renaming the airport is more than a symbolic act; it is a necessary step toward reaffirming Ghana’s identity as a democratic state,” the group asserted.
In addition to legal action, Democracy Hub and the CPP are mobilizing civil society groups, activists, and historians to support the campaign. They are urging Ghanaians to join the movement to ensure that the country’s public monuments reflect its democratic values.
Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (26 September 1926 – 17 April 1967) was a Ghanaian military officer and a key member of the National Liberation Council (NLC), which led the 1966 coup that toppled Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
He was later killed in 1967 during an attempted counter-coup but remains a controversial figure due to his role in dismantling Ghana’s first republic.
The Supreme Court is yet to set a date for the case, but the lawsuit has already ignited debate on Ghana’s historical narratives and how the country chooses to honor its past leaders.
If successful, this legal challenge could set a precedent for re-evaluating other national monuments and symbols associated with military rule and unconstitutional governance.
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