UEW Saga: Rawlings is a spokesman for ‘thieves’ – Lecturer punches

Alhassan Salifu Bawah, a Lecturer and right-hand man of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba(UEW) Reverend Father Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni, has lashed out vigorously at former President Jerry John Rawlings for calling for the reinstatement of dismissed former Vice Chancellor of UEW, Prof Mawutor Avoke

He stressed that the former President apart from lacking an understanding of the issues of the University, has no moral basis to call for his reinstatement since he perpetrated much worse injustice if even the dismissal of Prof Avoke passes as injustice.

In an abrasive article reacting to Rawlings’s call for the reinstatement of Prof Avoke, Mr Bawah argued that since Prof Avoke was appointed by an unconstitutional governing council, his exoneration or otherwise by the Economic and Organized Crime Office(EOCO) does not amount to anything. And therefore calls for his reinstatement lack merit whatsoever and are borne out of ignorance.

Mr Bawah accuses Rawlings of having become a spokesperson for the Member of Parliament( MP) for the Effutu Constituency within which UEW is located, opining that Rawlings has lost his respect and honour as a former President given that he has stopped low to do the MPs bidding.

“The Mamprusis have a saying that: “If one puts himself up for sale with a price tag of one cedi, the person will be bought at one pesewa”. In short, if a person does not respect himself, then such a person should expect nothing, other than disgrace in the extreme to be visited upon them by others.

Therefore, since former President Rawlings has skulked past the dignity and honour of the Office of President, and taken up appointment as the ‘spokesperson’ for the outgoing Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, and failed Board Chairman of the Ghana Water Co. Ltd (GWCL) Afenyo-Markin, and some other dismissed officers of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Rawlings deserves being administered with the Afenyo-Markin dose.

“I will not waste time to respond to the former President’s disgraceful Press Release of 17th January, 2020, paragraph by paragraph.

It is apparent that, former President Rawlings’ inability to effectively grasp the UEW issues, maybe attributable to his inferior education. If anyone at all is peddling lies about the UEW issues, then it is former President Rawlings, and NO one else!

To start with, Prof. Avoke, was appointed by an illegitimate Governing Council, therefore, he had no constitutional basis whatsoever to be at the helm of affairs of UEW as Vice-Chancellor (VC).

Section 14 (1) of the Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845) provides that: “On the assumption of office of the person elected as President, a person holding any of the offices specified in the schedule shall cease to hold that office ….”

Subsection 6 of the Schedule provides that: “Persons appointed by the President or a Minister of State as Members of Statutory Boards or Corporations”.

The UEW Governing Council, is a Statutory Board, therefore, following the election of John Mahama as President of the Republic of Ghana in the 2012 Presidential election, and his subsequent assumption of office, the UEW Governing Council constituted by the Atta Mills administration, became defunct.

This defunct Council then went ahead to later appoint Prof. Avoke and Theophilus Ackorlie, as VC and Finance Officer respectively.

As a result of the above unconstitutionality, it doesn’t matter whether Prof. Avoke has been exonerated by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), or the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) or whatever investigative body; the undisputed fact is that, Prof. Avoke’s appointment was unconstitutional, and therefore, null and void! Simple!!” he insisted.

Mr Bawah points out that the illegality of Prof Avoke’s appointment was even pointed out by the Effutu MP, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, on the floor of Parliament wondering why the MP has ignored this fact and is relying on his exoneration by EOCO.