Dampare’s removal: Our suit was not to derail Mahama, but to promote good governance – Franklin Cudjoe writes

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This is the context of the latest confusion….

the President has decided that he no longer requires the services of Dr. Dampare as the IGP.

He may well be within his rights to do so, and no one can begrudge him for making his decision.

However, l would like to clarify that this morning’s injunction filed by our lawyers was in furtherance of a suit filed by IMANI and Prof. Kwesi Aning LAST YEAR, MARCH 2024 at the Supreme Court, 9 months before the December elections. It is not a fresh case, and the injunction request was based on many published rumours about Dampare’s removal. It was not about any attempt to derail Nana Addo or John Mahama at all.

We were asking the apex court to issue a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of the letter and spirit of Articles 200, 202(1), 202(2), 202(3), 205, 207(1), 207(2), 207(3), 190(1), 191,196, 199, and 269 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the President of the Republic of Ghana has no authority to terminate the appointment or removal from office heads of the agencies unless only upon proven stated misconduct or misbehaviour established against these office holders.

These offices included the office of the Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Service; Inspector General of Police; Director General of Prisons Service, and Comptroller General of Immigration Service.

That the President of the Republic of Ghana upon assumption of Office does not have the power to make a fresh appointment to the office of the Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Service; Inspector General of Police; Director General of Prisons Service and Comptroller General of the Immigration Service unless the immediate holder of the office is deceased.

We are also seeking to know that the appointment of the heads of these uniformed security services by a new president who has been voted into power and sworn into office is unconstitutional.

There are concerning trends where new governments compel the termination of the appointment of these heads while disregarding their constitutional rights. ln some cases, these removals occur before the individual occupants of the office reach the statutory age of retirement.

For instance, in 2017, the then Director-General of the Prisons Service, Mr. Emmanuel Yao Adzator was asked to proceed on leave at the age of 54, and subsequently, another was appointed in his stead.

Today, Dr. Dampare, aged 54, the immediate past IGP has been removed by a new president without stating any of the grounds in the Constitution upon which he has been removed.

We were therefore, demanding a consequential order to restrain or prevent the President of the Republic from dismissing or removing or attempting to dismiss or remove the appointment of persons occupying the offices of the Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Service; Inspector General of Police; Director-General of Prisons Service, Comptroller General of Immigration Service unless only in cases of proven and stated misconduct or misbehaviour established against such persons or upon retirement or resignation or death or incapacity to perform the functions of the office because of infirmity of body and mind.

Let’s all wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling on May 7th 2025.

Thank You. .

Kgyasi Handspromo4 hours ago

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