Legally, the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), as at Tuesday 5th October, 2021, has no Vice-Chancellor (VC).
Under s. 13(1) of the University of Education, Winneba Act 2004, (Act 672), it is provided that: “There shall be a Vice-Chancellor or Pro-Vice-Chancellor as the Council may determine who shall be appointed by the Council”.
This is an exclusive power reserved for the Council. Therefore, it is ONLY the University Council that is clothed with the power to appoint the Vice-Chancellor.
As a result, any purported appointment of a Vice-Chancellor by a single individual usurping the powers of the University Council, is unconstitutional!! By appointing and attempting to cover up one’s dubious act by copying the highest political office in the land, does not in anyway make an illegal act, legal. The highest political office itself, MUST act in conformity with all the relevant laws of the land at all material times!
Two controversial issues arose in UEW in the recent past with regards to the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor (VC) to succeed Rev. Fr. Prof. Afful-Broni.
First was the service of a court process on the University challenging the Search Committee for the Vice-Chancellor Report.
This court process was served on a Principal Officer of the University on or around 13th September, 2021. This was made known to the entire membership of the University Council at its meeting the next day 14th September, 2021.
The court process was respected by the University Council, so the Search Committee’s Report, was NEVER accepted for discussion.
Thereafter, calls for the University Council to meet before the 30th of September, 2021, and decide the way forward for the University, fell on deaf ears.
A WhatsApp message was then posted on a certain platform, claiming that based on legal advice, Council CANNOT meet until the above mentioned case, is disposed off. Nobody challenged this.
A copycat of the above lawsuit (the challenge of the Search Committee’s Report), was also served on a Principal Officer of the University on 29th September, 2021.
The second court process served on the University on 29th September, 2021, raised some fundamental legal issues in respect of the circumstances leading to the current Pro-Vice-Chancellor’s appointment into that office.
Sadly, some notable individuals with a sinister agenda, decided not to extend the same respect given to the lawsuit challenging the eligibility of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Pro-VC) to contest for the election that subsequently earned him appointment into that office, as was accorded the initial lawsuit challenging the Search Committee’s Report.
A laughable reason given by a member of this sinister gang was that, they don’t know the person(s) behind the second lawsuit (the suit challenging the nomination, election and subsequent appointment of the current Pro-VC)
It is therefore apparent that the sinister gang, are behind the initial lawsuit (Search Committee’s Report suit), based on their response to the identity of the second claimant (Pro-VC’s appointment suit), i.e. that the claimant is unknown to them.
It appears the University Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday 6th October, 2021. If this is true, then what law(s) has/have changed in this country since the suit challenging the Search Committee’s Report was served on the University on or about the 13th of September, 2021? Fact is, legal advice was given to the effect that as a result of that particular lawsuit, the University Council would be in contempt of court should it hold a meeting before the said case is disposed off. The first hearing of this case is slated for Tuesday 26th October, 2021, so how come the University Council is scheduling a meeting at this time?
It should be noted that ONLY the University Council has power to appoint the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba. Any other person or persons, conniving and condoning to takeaway this power from the University Council by hook or crook (coup d’etat), is unconstitutional!!
For the avoidance of the doubt, the out gone VC (Rev. Fr. Prof. Afful-Broni), NEVER for once harboured the intention of having his tenure as VC, extended. If anyone has evidence to this effect, they should go ahead and make it public. My prayer to Allah from 14th July, 2017, when Rev. Fr. Prof. Afful-Broni assumed the mantle of leadership of UEW, was a constitutional end to his tenure; and this came to pass on 30th September, 2021, which am most grateful to Allah for and everything that has come my way and yet to come!!
All attempts to remove Rev. Fr. Prof. Afful-Broni from office as VC of UEW, including but not limited to numerous lawsuits, violent students demonstrations, shameless and violent takeovers, smear campaigns, etc, were all aborted by the grace of Allah!!
Anyone claiming to have won this battle, in short, requires an urgent mental overhaul!!
Alhassan Salifu Bawah
(son of an upright peasant farmer)