General News of Thursday, 18 April 2019

Source: starrfm.com.gh

Petition governing council for your reinstatement – UEW to Avoke

Former Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Professor Mawutor Avoke Former Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Professor Mawutor Avoke

The University of Education Winneba (UEW) has advised its former Vice-Chancellor Professor Mawutor Avoke to petition the University’s Council if he feels he has a genuine case for his reinstatement.

Professor Avoke who broke his silence earlier this week was pronounced guilty of financial malfeasance alongside the Finance Officer of the University by a Winneba High Court last year.

The guilty conviction led to his removal as the Vice Chancellor of the University.

The Supreme Court, however, by a unanimous decision, quashed the Judgment of the High Court.

According to the judges who sat on the case, the Judgment of the High Court, based on which Professor Avoke was removed from office was wrong, stood quashed, and was therefore null and void, and of no effect.

This, therefore, meant Professor Avoke should have been reinstated as Vice Chancellor of the University. That, however, was not the case as Very Reverend Father Professor Anthony Afful-Broni was appointed to succeed him.

Professor Avoke in his 16th April interaction with the media furiously castigated the government reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling, pointing to massive political scheming aimed at preventing his return to the University.

He further claimed that his successor, Professor Afful-Broni and the governing council chairman of the University, Professor Abakah of masterminding his removal with others.



Serving notice that he will head to the Courts to push for his reinstatement, Professor Avoke said in the media interaction: “Anyone who is a critical observer of the issues over the time will clearly know that some levels of involvement have played critical roles at various stages of this saga..no allegation has been proven against any of us and therefore the moral thing for stakeholders to do is to invite me back to the university.

“I do not see why after the Supreme Court had quashed the judgment of the Winneba High Court I shouldn’t go back because some fact-finding reports which have the same terms of reference as the EOCO report say some offenses have been committed.”

But the management of the University says Professor Avoke’s reinstatement remains with the University Council and has urged him to rather petition it.

“The University’s Council after whatever has happened and the appeals and the consultations that it has had has decided to open this window in the name of reconciliation that if you really feel affected you should petition and that they are not going to consider or make a class decision because the cases vary and differ."

“And so, everyone should make a case for him or herself. If Prof has a strong ground for his reinstatement I expect he takes advantage of that window by making his case,” the PRO of the University Ernest Azutigah stated on Morning Starr.