A senior member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Lawyer Kwame Jantuah, has strongly refuted claims that President John Dramani Mahama is behind the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkonoo as reported by ModernGhana.
Jantuah described such assertions as politically charged and misleading, emphasizing that the President’s actions followed constitutional protocols after receiving petitions from private individuals.
This clarification comes amid accusations from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its supporters, who allege that President Mahama is orchestrating the Chief Justice’s ouster through politically motivated petitions.
Speaking on Joy Prime, Jantuah urged the public to distinguish facts from partisan rhetoric, stating, “Who brought the petition? There were individuals. Was it the President? No.”
He further explained that the President’s response aligns with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, which sets out the procedures for handling petitions against the Chief Justice, including suspension based on the advice of the Council of State.
Jantuah questioned why the NPP blames the President, asking if ignoring the petitions would have been acceptable.
“If the President had left the petition, did nothing about it, wouldn’t we have blamed him for not taking action?” he remarked. “The Constitution is clear. The President has only followed due process.”
Chief Justice Torkonoo, who has been suspended since April 22, has since initiated legal action seeking to overturn her suspension.
She has also requested an interlocutory injunction against the committee investigating the petitions and called for a public hearing on the matter.