Managing Editor of the Newscenta Newspaper, Elvis Darko, has declared his support for the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Esaaba Torkonoo, in her decision to challenge the ongoing removal process.
Justice Torkonoo was suspended after a prima facie case was established in three separate petitions seeking her removal.
In response, she held a press conference to announce what she described as an abuse of her rights and an orchestrated attempt to remove her unfairly.
Her case has drawn comparisons to the removal of former Electoral Commission Chairperson Charlotte Osei, who did not publicly fight her ousting under the Akufo-Addo administration.
But speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily, Mr. Darko said Justice Torkonoo is justified in challenging the process.
“It’s clear to everybody — including the judges giving all these rulings — that if they don’t take steps to protect themselves, they can be removed by any government at any time. If the CJ had kept quiet, we might not have known many of these things,” he argued.
“I have always said she should fight. The fact that Charlotte Osei didn’t fight doesn’t mean she [Torkonoo] shouldn’t fight her own battle.”
Mr. Darko also urged members of the public to support the Chief Justice in her legal and constitutional challenge.
“I’m happy that the CJ is fighting. She should fight to the very end — up to the Supreme Court. Lawyers, people with money, anyone who can go to court on her behalf, should step forward. All the outcomes will help us insulate the judiciary from executive control,” he said.
