Dr. Elijah Tukwariba Yin, a Senior Lecturer and Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Law, University of Cape Coast (UCC), has filed a legal suit against the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) for ordering Vice Chancellor Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong to step aside.
The lawsuit, which also lists UCC as the second respondent, challenges GTEC’s decision to appoint Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto as Acting Vice Chancellor. It also contests GTEC’s threats to withhold salaries, accreditation, and funding should the University fail to comply with its directive.
In a statement dated September 19, 2025, GTEC justified its actions by stating that Prof. Boampong had surpassed the mandatory retirement age of 60, which it claims violates Article 199(1) of the 1992 Constitution. The Commission further argued that the position of Vice Chancellor is a public office under the University of Cape Coast Act, 1992 (PNDCL 278), and therefore subject to constitutional retirement provisions.
Additionally, GTEC instructed UCC’s Governing Council to suspend the process of appointing a substantive Vice Chancellor until a related case currently before the Cape Coast High Court is resolved.
However, Dr. Yin, acting in his capacity as a private citizen, argues that GTEC exceeded its legal authority. He maintains that only UCC’s Governing Council has the power to remove a Vice Chancellor, and describes GTEC’s actions as a misuse of public authority.
He further claims that GTEC violated the principles of natural justice by denying Prof. Boampong a fair hearing, breached an active court injunction, issued coercive threats, and unlawfully disrupted statutory obligations owed to the University.
Dr. Yin is seeking a court order to nullify GTEC’s directives, restrain the Commission from further interference in the Vice Chancellor’s tenure, compel it to process UCC’s legitimate requests, and prohibit Prof. Aheto from acting as Vice Chancellor.
