UEW Saga: Supreme Court Quashing Of Prof Avoke's Removal As VC Report "Misleading'

Member of Parliament for Efutu, Hon Alexander Afenyo-Markin has dismissed media reports purporting that the Supreme Court overturned a decision of the Governing Council of the University of Education, Winneba, which led to the dismiss of Prof Mawutor Avoke as Vice Chancellor of the University.

Prof Mawutor Avoke's appointment as Vice Chancellor was quashed by the Governing Council following a High Court order in 2017 that he should step aside until the case was determined.

The case was filed by one Supi Kofi Kwayera who insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution's defunct Governing Council.

The plaintiff argued that University’s Council’s mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university and rather allowed the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue in the functions of a properly constituted Governing Council.

Supi Kofi Kwayera also alleged financial and procurement irregularities on the part of the Prof Avoke.

Prof Avoke, along with four others; the Finance Officer, Dr. Theophilus Senyo Ackorlie; Daniel Tetteh, Mary Dzimey and Frank Owusu Boateng, were also interdicted by the school after it emerged that some relevant documents had gone missing in the midst of investigations into the matter.

A publication on some major news portals on Wednesday, October 31st, 2018, indicated that per a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court, "the High Court in Winneba failed to take evidence from the parties in the case before granting judgment. The court also stated that the High Court breached the rule of natural justice by failing to give the defendants a hearing. The justices of the apex court said the High Court’s actions amounted to an error of law patent on the record".

Hon. Afenyo Markin, who doubles as the Counsel for the plaintiff, clarified the ruling in an interview with Peacefmonline.com that the said publication is "false and misleading".