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The Bolgatanga High Court has ordered the reinstatement of the Vice-Chancellor of Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU), Prof. Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, and two senior officers after quashing decisions by the University’s Governing Council that led to their removal and sanctions.
The court ruled that the Governing Council did not have the required quorum when it took the decisions against Prof. Alnaa and the two officers, rendering the decisions unlawful.
The court consequently set aside the decisions and granted the applicants an order of certiorari, effectively quashing the Council’s decisions.
The court also found that the Special Investigative Committee constituted by the Governing Council to investigate the matters was illegally constituted.
The ruling clears the way for Prof. Alnaa and the two affected officers to return to their respective positions.
The two other officers are Samuel Aduko, Director of Procurement, and Tom Mboya Asigri, Director of Works and Physical Development. They had been demoted and suspended for three months following the Council’s action in June 2026.
Background
The dispute at BTU predates the latest court action and has unfolded over several months, involving the Vice-Chancellor, the Governing Council, the university administration and the sector regulator, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
In December 2025, the Governing Council directed Prof. Alnaa to proceed on his accumulated annual leave from December 19, 2025, to December 18, 2026.
The Council said the decision was intended to create space for reflection, reconciliation and efforts to restore peace and confidence within the university.
GTEC, however, intervened and ordered the Council to stay the decision, describing the directive for the Vice-Chancellor to proceed on a one-year leave as “unprecedented and potentially problematic.” The Commission maintained that Prof. Alnaa remained the substantive Vice-Chancellor and was deemed to be at post.
The December dispute was followed by further action against Prof. Alnaa as the Council proceeded with investigations into alleged procurement and financial management breaches.
On February 13, 2026, the Council constituted a Special Investigation Committee to investigate allegations surrounding a GH¢27.97 million GETFund-financed procurement contract awarded to M-Business Services Limited in April 2024, as well as the alleged unauthorised disposal of 866 items of university furniture.
The Council subsequently relied on the findings of the committee in terminating Prof. Alnaa’s appointment with effect from June 11, 2026.
According to the Council’s position, as reported by Graphic Online, the procurement contract had been awarded without approval from the Central Tender Review Board, while the Council also alleged irregularities in the procurement process and the disposal of university furniture. The Council further alleged that the procurement resulted in significant financial loss. These were allegations forming part of the Council’s case against Prof. Alnaa and were not, by themselves, findings of criminal guilt.
The Council also referred aspects of the matter to institutions including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Financial Intelligence Centre and the Auditor-General for further investigation and possible proceedings.
Prof. Alnaa subsequently challenged the Council’s decision in court.
The controversy also triggered concerns within Ghana’s technical university system. In June 2026, the Vice-Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana suspended BTU from their activities, citing concerns over the processes surrounding the suspension, investigation and termination of the Vice-Chancellor, as well as sanctions imposed on other senior officers.
Court ruling
The High Court’s latest ruling, however, centred on the legality of the process through which the Governing Council arrived at its decisions.
The court’s finding that the Council lacked the required quorum and that the Special Investigative Committee was illegally constituted means the decisions taken through that process have now been quashed.
The judgment therefore changes the immediate status of the three affected officers and places the university’s governance processes back at the centre of the dispute.
Prof. Alnaa had served as Vice-Chancellor and academic and administrative head of BTU before the Council terminated his appointment in June 2026.
The university’s current official website lists the Vice-Chancellor position separately from its administrative leadership, while its Registrar’s office identifies the Registrar as secretary to the Governing Council and Academic Board.
The court ruling is now expected to have immediate implications for the leadership and administration of BTU as the institution navigates the consequences of the judgment and the broader governance dispute.
The development brings to a head a dispute that began with questions over university leadership and institutional stability in late 2025 and later escalated into investigations over procurement and financial management.
Source: Bolgafmonline.com| 102.7 MHz| Bolgatanga
