The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, has accused President John Dramani Mahama of suspending Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo based on personal dislike.
According to the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, the decision is a “dangerous assault” on judicial independence and Ghana’s democratic foundations.
In a social media post on April 23, 2025, Ntim Fordjour slammed the suspension, which was announced on Tuesday, and described it as politically motivated. He claimed the move aligns with President Mahama’s “vindictive reset agenda.”
“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 volumes about the real intent behind your reset agenda.”
“Yes, you may not be the first President to go down in history as the President 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 the basis for prima facie for the suspension of Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo are farfetched.”
On April 22, 2025, President Mahama suspended Chief Justice Torkornoo following three petitions alleging misconduct. The President, acting in line with Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution, consulted the Council of State and concluded that a prima facie case had been established. A five-member committee has since been constituted to investigate the allegations, with Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie appointed as Acting Chief Justice during the probe.
The NPP MP also accused the President of seeking to replace the Chief Justice with someone politically compliant.
“The independence of the Judiciary is paramount to the integrity of our democratic pursuit. Your palpable pursuit of removing the Chief Justice and to replace her with a politically-compliant one clearly affronts key principles of good governance and is dangerous for the future of Ghana’s democracy.”
He further alleged that the move is part of a wider pattern of retribution under the Mahama-led administration, which he claimed includes mass terminations of public sector jobs, harassment of political opponents, and broader attacks on democratic institutions.
“CSOs, faith-based organisations, 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, ie, unfair mass terminations of jobs, storming of innocent political opponents’ homes with armed thugs, Dumsor, cocaine trafficking and money laundering,” he stressed.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
