The NPP Minority caucus has strongly criticised President John Dramani Mahama for his decision to suspend the Chief Justice (CJ), Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Esaaba Sackey Torkonoo.
The CJ’s suspension with immediate effect was confirmed in a statement dated Tuesday, 22nd April, signed by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
The statement noted that the decision was made in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution, following consultations with the Council of State after the establishment of a prima facie case related to three separate petitions submitted against the Chief Justice.
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However, in reaction to the suspension, the NPP Minority has condemned the move, describing it as “nothing short of a brazen judicial coup, a reckless abuse of executive power, and a direct assault on the independence of Ghana’s judiciary.”
The caucus stated:
This move, taken while legitimate legal challenges are pending before the Supreme Court, reeks of an intolerable political vendetta, judicial intimidation, and a calculated attempt to pack the courts with NDC-sympathetic justices – as openly promised by President Mahama in Akosombo in 2023.
The NPP MPs further branded the move as politically motivated:
If the President believes he can strong-arm the judiciary into submission, he must be reminded that Ghana is a constitutional democracy, not a fiefdom. The people of Ghana will not tolerate the subversion of judicial independence for partisan gain.
The caucus vowed that further attempts to harass, intimidate, or unlawfully remove the Chief Justice would be met with fierce legal and public resistance.
Any effort to pack the judiciary with politically compliant judges will be challenged to the fullest extent of the law.
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The legal fraternity, civil society, and all defenders of democracy will not stand idly by while the judiciary is turned into an appendage of the Executive.
The NPP Minority is, therefore, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the Chief Justice, pending the Supreme Court’s determination of the ongoing legal challenges, and a halt to all removal processes in that regard.
