There is heavy security presence on the Winneba campus of the University of Education hours after ousted Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mawutor Avoke, stormed the institution’s Administrative Block announcing his reinstatement.
Police officers who had been present at the University since Prof. Avoke did a similar showing on Tuesday, have had to call for reinforcement after the expelled Vice-Chancellor promised to return with more men.
The men, he refers to are lecturers who have also been relieved of their post.
Prof. Avoke does not understand why even after he was investigated and cleared by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) for abuse of office and procurement breaches, the University has refused to reinstate him.
He wants his successor, Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni, to vacate the office he claims to be rightfully his.
On Tuesday, a lecturer and Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of the University filed an application praying the High Court to restrain Prof. Afful-Broni from holding himself as the Vice-Chancellor or performing any such functions in that capacity at UEW.
Kingsley Amoakwah also wants an order preventing Prof. Afful-Broni from “continuously interfering in the administration of Prof. Mawutor Avoke,” whom he claims is the legitimate Vice-Chancellor of the University.
“An order restraining Prof. Afful-Broni, his assigns, agents, or any person claiming through him from walking or driving within the precincts of the Main Administration Block of UEW, where Prof. Avoke’s office is located,” a copy of the application sighted by Joy News said.
Based on that application, Prof. Avoke and some other dismissed staff stormed the university demanding Prof. Afful-Broni’s immediate removal as Vice-Chancellor.
But the management of the University will have none of it.
Prof Avoke is unhappy about remaining out of office even after EOCO cleared him
Its Public Relations Officer, Ernest Azutiga, described Prof. Avoke’s move as a “coup d’état” which has been “aborted”.
He said it was preposterous for Prof. Avoke and the other sacked members of staff to think that just by filing an application, the University will remove Prof. Afful-Broni.
“Anyone at all can walk to court and make a demand but because we live within a milieu of rule of law, the court will take whatever request you have made but that does not mean it has been granted. The court needs to hear the other side.
“There is a VC who has been properly and duly invested. There has not been not less than six rulings affirming that this VC was duly installed…for someone to run in and say that ‘I have this application is strange,” he told Joy News’ Maxwell Agbagba in an interview.
While some members of the UEW University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) have applauded Prof Avoke for his actions, others have criticised him.
One of them is Eric Nketiah who said they are scandalised by Prov. Avoke’s actions.
He described the move by some of the members to support the ousted Vice-Chancellor as wrong.
“It is not something we agree with…they are very wrong and we think that the right things must be done and the right thing includes a court’s ruling or a Council may appoint because the power to appoint lies in the Council and anybody who says he has been appointed to the office at the University – a senior office – that person must be appointed by neither by a Council or an authority acting on behalf of the council,” he said.
