Martin Amidu has launched a scathing critique of retired Chief Justice and current Council of State member, Ms. Sophia Akuffo, over her recent remarks advocating a constitutional amendment to the process for removing a Chief Justice.
The former Attorney General and anti-corruption crusader argued that Sophia Akuffo’s calls—made at a Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) sitting hosted by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)—must be understood within the context of current petitions before the President seeking the removal of the incumbent Chief Justice, and the decisions that have followed in consultation with the Council of State, of which she is an active member.
“Indeed, her arguments, coming from a serving member of the Council of State, can only be understood within the context of the petitions submitted to the President for the removal of the Chief Justice and the decisions taken thereon in consultation with the Council of State,” Amidu stated in an open letter sighted by MyNewsGH, questioning both the timing and motive of her interventions.
According to Amidu, Sophia Akuffo’s selective focus on granting appeal rights solely to a Chief Justice petitioned under Article 146 of the Constitution—rather than to all Superior Court Justices—betrays a self-serving motive. He cited two key instances from her own tenure as Chief Justice to illustrate a contradiction in her current stance.
First, Amidu reminded Ghanaians that while serving as Chief Justice, Ms. Akuffo had no qualms about making prima facie determinations that led to the suspension and eventual removal of the Electoral Commissioner and her two deputies—individuals with the same status as Superior Court Justices—without any right of appeal. Notably, these actions were taken in close collaboration with her cousin, then-President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Secondly, Amidu noted that a petition was filed to President Akufo-Addo seeking Sophia Akuffo’s own removal from office as Chief Justice. However, “her cousin the President,” he wrote, “in contravention of his oath of office, refused or failed to take any action on the petition until she retired from office on 16 December 2019.” Amidu argued that this apparent disregard for constitutional procedure went unquestioned by Sophia Akuffo simply because the petition targeted her.
The former Special Prosecutor went further, accusing Akufo-Addo of previously violating Article 146 by not acting on a petition seeking the removal of Jean Mensa—then Electoral Commission Chair and former IEA staff member—along with her deputies. That, according to Amidu, makes the IEA a particularly ironic platform for Sophia Akuffo to now be advocating for fairness in the very constitutional process she once benefitted from.
Amidu concluded that the former Chief Justice’s renewed interest in constitutional fairness stems from vested interests, now that the sitting President has acted within the law to process petitions involving a Chief Justice—something she previously evaded.
“In contrast to the past,” he observed, “this time around the sitting President complied with Article 146 of the Constitution and his oath of office by commencing the processes mandated by the law.”
