The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama over the suspension of the Chief Justice of the Republic, Her Ladyship Gertrude Esaaba Torkonoo.
On Tuesday, the President directed her suspension with immediate effect, pending the outcome of a five-member committee inquiry into three petitions seeking her removal from office.
But the NPP lawmaker says the move is politically motivated and driven by personal dislike, aimed at replacing the Chief Justice with someone who would do the President’s bidding.
In a social media post on Wednesday, April 23, Rev Ntim Fordjour stated that the reasons used to establish a prima facie case against the CJ are, in his view, unfounded.
“Yes, you may not be the first President to go down in history as the one who removed his Chief Justice on grounds of personal dislike. But that’s certainly not a noble and enviable precedent to follow either. All the reasons cited as basis for prima facie for the suspension of Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkonoo are far-fetched.
“The independence of the Judiciary is paramount to the integrity of our democratic pursuit. Your palpable pursuit of removing the Chief Justice and replacing her with a politically compliant one clearly affronts key principles of good governance and is dangerous for the future of Ghana’s democracy,” he wrote.
The lawmaker, who serves as Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, further called on civil society groups, faith-based institutions and the general public to resist what he described as a vindictive process.
“CSOs, faith-based organizations, the diplomatic community and well-meaning Ghanaians are entreated to rise up in fierce resistance to this vindictive and destructive course being championed by our President.
“Let’s not watch on for this to be added to the plethora of infamous achievements of the President in his 120 days in office—i.e. unfair mass terminations of jobs, storming of innocent political opponents’ homes with armed thugs, dumsor, cocaine trafficking and money laundering,” he charged.
Your Excellency Mr President, under your watch, as part of your reset agenda, politically-motivated witch-hunting has seen the mass termination of thousands of jobs in the public sector. As if that was not enough, your brazen determination to remove the Chief Justice reveals…
— John Ntim Fordjour MP (@NtimFordjour) April 23, 2025
