Former Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye, has called out Ghanaians for what he describes as selective outrage over the ongoing petition process aimed at the potential removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse, the seasoned politician and academic didn’t mince words, questioning why many Ghanaians, including some current critics, remained silent for years about the same constitutional provisions now under scrutiny.
“Why is it that Ghanaians have watched this being their law for so long, and some people who today are criticising the system said nothing? They did not speak about this,” Prof Oquaye asserted.
The former Speaker, known for his deep involvement in Ghana’s constitutional development and advocacy for democratic reform, reminded the public that he had long raised concerns about aspects of the constitution that govern judicial accountability.
“When I was mounting the IEA Constitutional Review Series, I wrote on all these things,” he noted, referencing past contributions.
Prof Oquaye further cited a significant occasion where he publicly shared these views: “It is published in my contribution to the University of Ghana alumni lecture, which I gave at the jubilee time at the Great Hall in Legon; 10 years ago, I had written on this.”
To him, the uproar over the potential impact of the process on Chief Justice Torkornoo seems to be motivated more by emotion than principle.
“Why do we allow such things to happen? And then we cry foul when it appears as if a particular best person is going to suffer. And this is what personally I don’t like. Let us talk by the principle of it. What is good for the goose is good for the gander – everybody, that is important,” he said emphatically.
