Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress
•The NDC has said the judiciary cannot compel them to believe in their independence
•It indicated that the judiciary has not given the party a reason to restore confidence in the it
•The general secretary also called on the Chief Justice to withdraw the petition against Dr Ayine
The general secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has said his outfit cannot be forced to restore its confidence in the judiciary, Citi News has reported.
According to him, the court has failed to give the NDC a reason to realise the independence of the judiciary.
Addressing the media on the back of a petition filed by the Chief Justice against one of its members, Dominic Ayine, Mr Nketia said their trust in the judiciary has waned.
“As a matter of fact, neither Dr. Ayine nor we in the NDC can be compelled to increase our confidence in the independence of the judiciary, even when the court has not given us any basis or reason so to do. The Chief Justice ought to be reminded that according to Article 125 of our constitution, justice emanates from the people, and it is administered on behalf of the judiciary, which shall be independent. Public confidence and the independence of the judiciary must therefore be earned and not forced on us,” as quoted by Citi News.
He also called on Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah to withdraw the petition.
Nobody can force anyone to have confidence in a system that does not justify that confidence. It is natural, not possible. So if you want me to have confidence in you, you must demonstrate by your actions that you deserve that confidence. I cannot be compelled by any dictator to have confidence in anything that I don’t have confidence in… We are concerned at the seeming judicial dictatorship that is fast festering under the leadership of the current Chief Justice as an unwelcome development which threatens free speech and could potentially undermine our justice system,” he insisted.
Dominic Ayine to face General Legal Council over comments against Supreme Court
The Chief Justice has petitioned the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council to investigate alleged: ‘disparaging comments’ made by a former Deputy Attorney-General, Dominic Ayine over the independence of the judiciary.