A Ghanaian citizen has dragged the Attorney-General to the Supreme Court, seeking to declare the government’s decision to rename Kotoka International Airport as unconstitutional and of no legal effect.
Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers filed the suit on March 13, 2026, invoking the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction under Rule 45(1) of the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (C.I. 16).
In the writ, filed through his lawyer Michael Akosah of Adu-Gyamfi & Associates in Kumasi, the plaintiff argues that any executive order or directive purporting to change the name of Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport is null, void, and of no legal effect.
He contends that the Executive arm of government lacks the authority to unilaterally rename the facility without first amending or repealing the law that officially established its current name.
At the heart of the matter is the General Kotoka Trust Decree of 1969 (NLCD 339), which legally enshrines the name “Kotoka International Airport” in honour of Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key figure in the 1966 coup that overthrew Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s government.
Brako-Powers is asking the Supreme Court to declare that NLCD 339 remains valid and binding until such time as Parliament lawfully amends, repeals, or nullifies it through proper legislative process.
The suit further alleges that the government’s decision to rename the airport, announced as part of a broader transport sector rebranding initiative, contravenes Articles 11(1)(d) and 11(4) of the 1992 Constitution, which recognise existing laws and prescribe the procedures for their amendment.
The plaintiff also invokes Paragraph 8(1)(a) of NLCD 339, which provides guidance on how any change to the airport’s designation must be effected.
Beyond seeking declaratory relief, Brako-Powers is requesting both interim and perpetual injunctions to restrain the Ministry of Transport, its agents, officials, or any other authorised persons from implementing, using, or enforcing the proposed new name of “Accra International Airport.”
He maintains that until NLCD 339 is lawfully altered, no executive action can override or supersede the decree.
The plaintiff emphasised that he instituted the action in both his personal capacity and in the public interest to uphold the supremacy of the 1992 Constitution and the rule of law.
Kotoka International Airport was named after Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka following his assassination in 1967 during a counter-coup attempt, just a year after he played a prominent role in the ousting of Ghana’s first president.