The Minority in Parliament has fiercely condemned President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to suspend Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, describing it as a “brazen judicial coup” and a blatant abuse of executive power.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, April 22, the Minority accused the President of engaging in a politically motivated witch-hunt aimed at undermining the independence of Ghana’s judiciary.
They argue that the suspension, carried out under the purported authority of Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, disregards pending legal challenges currently before the Supreme Court.
“The President’s action reeks of intolerable political vendetta, judicial intimidation, and a calculated attempt to pack the courts with NDC-sympathetic justices,” the statement said, referencing President Mahama’s 2023 remarks in Akosombo about balancing the judiciary.
The Minority insisted that the suspension constitutes judicial overreach and executive interference, likening it to historical instances where political power was used to subvert judicial independence, notably under the Kwame Nkrumah regime.
Furthermore, they demanded the immediate reinstatement of Chief Justice Torkornoo pending the outcome of the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the process.
They warned the Mahama administration of fierce resistance against any further attempts to manipulate or intimidate the judiciary.
“The people of Ghana will not tolerate the subversion of judicial independence for partisan gain,” the statement emphasized, adding that civil society, the legal fraternity, and democracy defenders would oppose any efforts to turn the judiciary into an appendage of the Executive.
The Minority concluded with a strong call to action, urging all stakeholders to uphold the Constitution and defend the sanctity of judicial independence in Ghana.
Read the NPP Minority’s full statement below:
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