Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has cautioned President John Mahama against overstepping his boundaries following the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
The outspoken NPP spokesperson argues that President Mahama’s actions, in response to anti-Chief Justice petitions and the advice of the Council of State, amount to interference with the judiciary.
In his view, President Mahama is seeking the removal of the Chief Justice to appoint his preferred candidate, who would pursue a National Democratic Congress (NDC) agenda.
He believes this move must be stopped to safeguard the democracy that has been built over the years.
“We believe democracy must be preserved for ourselves and for posterity. President Mahama must take his hands off the judiciary,” he warned during a major protest by the opposition NPP and its allies on Monday, 5 May.
“It is not about the processes to remove the Chief Justice but about the politics of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama and the NDC. You heard them in opposition; they said NDC lawyers must be ready to take up positions on the bench. What they are doing is undermining the judiciary in order to remove the Chief Justice and install one who is amenable to the NDC’s agenda.”
“We believe that is wrong. That is unacceptable and injurious to our democracy. It is not about the law, but about their politics,” he fumed.
Clad in red clothing, armbands, and headgear, the demonstrators took to the streets in large numbers, marching through the main roads of Accra.
Led by the Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the protesters submitted petitions to the Judiciary, Parliament, and the Presidency, urging President Mahama to revoke the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Meanwhile, Mr Afenyo-Markin also condemned the petitions that initiated the process leading to the Chief Justice’s suspension, describing them as “flimsy” and “pedestrian”.
He accused the Council of State of failing the nation by entertaining the three letters that called for her removal.
“For the Chief Justice to be singled out for this unfortunate attack… the Council of State has failed the country. We want you, as an institution, to set aside your individual differences and realise that it is your institution that is under attack. Maybe today it is Torkornoo; tomorrow it might be you,” he warned.
Mr Afenyo-Markin stressed that judicial officers must remain above partisan politics.
“You do not serve at the whims and caprices of a political party or government. If you wished to be a politician, you would have joined a political party,” he said, adding that what is happening to Her Ladyship is “repugnant to good conscience”.
He also accused the government of hypocrisy, noting that although it had previously criticised the expansion of the Supreme Court, it had now appointed seven new judges under questionable circumstances.
“You know the process of appointing judges to the Supreme Court, and that process has not been followed. So this reset is a negative reset,” he remarked, urging judicial staff not to become complacent.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further warned against political vengeance in the future.
“I also want to take this opportunity to draw the nation’s attention to the need to end bitterness. If this vicious cycle of ‘you did it to me; I will do it to you’ continues, there will be no hope for our democracy,” he said.
He cautioned that such partisan actions could later haunt current judicial staff, especially with the possibility of a new government in 2028.
“I am humbly calling on all judicial service staff to think deeply about the future. Do not become too comfortable simply because today some government officials are promising you promotions, and so you choose not to speak out. We will speak up for the sake of posterity,” he concluded.
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