A heated exchange unfolded on live television when the founder of the All Peoples Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga, locked horns with the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Prof Ahmed Jinapor, over the controversy surrounding Ayariga’s use of the doctoral title.
The confrontation occurred during a panel discussion on JoyNews PM Express on August 18, 2025, monitored by radiogoldlive.com.
Prof Jinapor, defending GTEC’s recent scrutiny of academic titles, stressed that the Commission’s demand for public figures to provide proof of their credentials was not a witch hunt.
“In the case of my good senior brother, Hassan Ayariga, he has two honorary doctorates and he says he has a PhD. We are not even going after the honorary doctorate; we are saying that if you have a PhD, produce evidence. If you produce the evidence, and that evidence is verifiable and authentic, you can use your doctorate title,” Prof Jinapor stated.
He further disclosed that GTEC had officially written to Ayariga requesting proof of his doctoral qualification, insisting that the former presidential candidate had responded in writing but had failed to provide the necessary documentation.
However, Ayariga vehemently denied ever receiving such a letter. He accused GTEC of mishandling the matter and tarnishing his reputation by allegedly leaking the supposed correspondence to the media.
“With all due respect to my younger brother, that is not true. If that was true, we wouldn’t have been here. How long will it take me to provide a piece of paper?… How long will it take me to go into my wardrobe and pull out a piece of paper that is written there PhD, to give it to you? How long will it take?” Ayariga fumed.
“But the way you destroyed my reputation by telling people you wrote to me, and the letter is in the media, and I never received it. Can you prove to the world that you have given me a letter? I dare you to prove that you handed me a letter… Do you have proof that you have given me a letter? Do you have proof?” he challenged.
The clash reflects a broader controversy over the use of honorary and academic titles in Ghana, with GTEC in recent weeks cautioning public figures against misrepresenting their credentials.
The debate, monitored by radiogoldlive.com, also saw other panelists, including Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, weighing in, with strong disagreements over academic recognition and professional credibility.
Letter Banter: GTEC insists it wrote, but Hassan Ayariga denies, asking, ‘How long would it take me to pull out my PhD certificate from the wardrobe?#PMExpress pic.twitter.com/2h6BRll3HX
— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) August 18, 2025
