A Ghanaian citizen has asked the Supreme Court to strike down the government’s move to rename the Kotoka International Airport, insisting the decision is unconstitutional and “of no legal effect,” according to a writ filed at the apex court.
Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers filed the suit on March 13, 2026, invoking the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction.
He argues that the Executive cannot rename the airport without first amending or repealing the law that established its current name.
“Any Executive order purportedly issued to effect the renaming of Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport…is null, void, and of no legal effect,” he stated in the filing.
At the centre of the case is the General Kotoka Trust Decree of 1969 (NLCD 339), which legally enshrines the airport’s name.
Brako-Powers wants the court to declare that the decree remains valid and binding until Parliament properly changes it through legislation.
His lawyer, Michael Akosah of Adu-Gyamfi & Associates, submitted the writ in Kumasi.
He further contends that the decision to rename the airport announced by the government as part of a broader transport sector rebranding breaches Articles 11(1)(d) and 11(4) of the 1992 Constitution.
Those provisions recognise existing laws and outline the legal procedures needed to amend them. The suit also cites Paragraph 8(1)(a) of NLCD 339, which guides how any alteration to the airport’s designation should occur.
The plaintiff is not only seeking declarations but also asking for both interim and perpetual injunctions to restrain the Ministry of Transport, its agents, or any authorised persons from implementing the new name. He argues that until NLCD 339 is “lawfully amended, repealed, or nullified,” no executive directive can override it.
Kotoka International Airport was named after Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, one of the key figures in the 1966 coup that ousted Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
He was killed a year later during a counter-coup attempt, and the airport was subsequently named in his honour.
The proposed renaming has sparked public debate, with some questioning the necessity and others pointing to the historical significance of the existing name.
Brako-Powers says he filed the matter in both personal and public interest, emphasising the need to protect the 1992 Constitution as Ghana’s supreme law.
The suit was filed under Rule 45(1) of the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (C.I. 16), and the Attorney-General has fourteen days from the date of service to respond.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com