Main opposition party for Ghana – di new patriotic party (NPP) wit oda small parties don hit street to demonstrate ova di suspension of di kontris chief justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Wit dia red and black shirts, bands, placards and oda tins, di protestors begin to dey march from di Supreme Court premises wia dem go waka pass di Parliament House bifor dem go end for di seat of goment.
Dem go president one petition to di goment say make dem stop di process to remove di kontris chief justice.
Dis mata don cause tok tok for social media as everybody don chook mouth for inside.
On top some of dia placards na messages like; “SaveTheJuiciary”, “JudiciaryUnderAttack”, “DemocracyUnderAttack”, “Resist “Resist Mahama im third term agenda”, “Chief justice suspension na dangerous precedent”, “SaveChiefJusticeFromJm” and odas
Dis na di first time president don dey suspend chief justice for di kontri; even tho di law don allow make di president do so, if dem begin “removal process” and di council of state establish “prima facie” case against di chief justice.
Also for kontris history, na only one time wia dem remove one chief justice, dis na in 1963 when dem President Kwame Nkrumah bin sack CJ Sir Arku Korsah.
Dis na afta di court find three pipo not guilty in one bomb attack on di president for Kulungugu.
Nkrumah neva happy about di verdict, wia im sack di CJ Arku Korsah unconstitutionally.
Since dat time, no president for Ghana don sack CJ, na so di kontri also create law wey go guide di process to remove CJ and oda Supreme Court judges and oda ogbonge pipo for state agencies like di electoral commission, di commission on human rights and administrative justice (CHRAJ) and odas.
Di NPP tok say wetin di president do, wey be to suspend di CJ, as one committee bin dey investigate about five different petitions against her, na “attack on di judiciary.”
President Mahama bin set up di committee afta di council of state find say di chief justice get questions to answer afta dem chook eye for di petitions wey pipo file against her.
According to di kontri law, wen pesin file petition say make dem sack di chief justice, di president gatz refer di petition to di council of state.
Na so di council go look di petition and determine if di tins di pipo tok for dia petition na strong case, wia di CJ gat to answer.
Afta dia, di council go advise di president say make im throway di petition (if nothing beta dey inside), wia dem go advise am to form committee to chook mouth for di mata well well (if dem find say di tins wey dey inside di petition na serious wahala).
Na so di committee go begin dia investigation wia dem go invite di chief justice make she defend herself for dia behind closed doors.
So far, dis na wetin don happun as President Mahama follow di advice by di council of state to set di committee, wia im suspend di CJ sake of she no fit to dey under investigation wia she go kontinu to dey office.
Di law (article 146) dey give all di process to remove chief justice on “di grounds say im be incompetent or im misbehave”.
Even tho di law neva tok say make di chief justice respond to di petition for di first stage until dem reach di place wia dem set committee to chook eye for di mata, di CJ bin write to President Mahama afta im refer di petitions to di council of state, say she wan respond to dem.
Inside one letter Gertrude Torkornoo bin write to di president wey bin leak on top social media – she tok say she wan see di petitions and respond to di allegations bifor di council of state to chook eye for di mata.
For di letter on 27 March, di chief justice tok say “I bin dey humbly ask di president and di council of state make dem forward di petitions to me and give me at least 7 days to respond.”
“Dis response go dey part of di material wia una go use to do your consultation bifor una go set up committee of inquiry for dis mata,” she tok.
As di CJ bin dey request di three petitions, na so two oda pipo file more petitions against her.
President Mahama give CJ 10 days to respond
As di mata dey happun, two opposition members of parliament don run to di Supreme Court say make di court stop di president from di process to remove di chief justice wia di kontris law don provide for.
Even bifor di court to hear di injunction application for dis mata, di president bin respond to di CJ.
Inside one letter to justice Gertrude Torkornoo, di president thru im secretary Dr Callistus Mahama tok say im dey “disappointed say di CJ letter bin dey di public and oda places bifor e reach di office of di president.”
“Sake of dis, we don attach dis letter as restricted.”
Oga Callistus explain say “di president dey assure you say im go follow due process for dis matter wey im go give you di chance to respond.”
Di five-member team wey go investigate di CJ
.Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, Justice of di Supreme Court – chairman
.Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu- Justice of di Supreme Court – member
.Daniel Yao Domelevo (former auditor general) – member
.Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo (Ghana armed forces) – member
.Professor James Sefah Dzisah (associate professor, University of Ghana) – member
Na so di opposition NPP since di process begin start to dey complain wia dem dey tok say wetin di president dey do for dis CJ removal mata, na illegal.
Many lawyers for di NPP don dey defend di CJ wia dem tok say if di president remove di CJ thru dis process “e go undermine di judiciary.”
Sabi pipo tok say CJ for resign by now.
Some pipo tok say make she resign by herself as dis controversy dey kontinu.
Na so one former director for di Ghana school of law, oga Kwaku Ansa-Asare tok say per di law, di president get to suspend di chief Justice afta di committee find ‘prima facie’ case against her.
“Di moment di president set up di committee, e mean say im get to suspend di chief Justice wey I tink say na fair tin.”
Former Ghana attorney general react
Di former attorney general (under Nana Akuffo-Addo goment) wey carry one case go court to challenge di process of di removal of di chief Justice, tok say wetin di president do na “assault on di kontris judiciary.”
Oga Godfred Dame tok di BBC say di president “dey in contempt of court as im go ahead to suspend di CJ despite say dem get injunction case for di Supreme Court.”
“Dis kind tin neva happun bifor, na complete charade. Dis dey show di complete disregard for di rule of law by di John Mahama administration.”
Godfred Dame add say “dis na effort of di goment to take control of di judiciary.”
Why opposition NPP, odas dey protest di suspension of di CJ
Apart from di main opposition party di NPP, oda parties like di Liberal party of Ghana (LPG), National Democratic Party (NDP), People’s National Party (PNP) all bin join dis protest.
Di minority caucus (NPP MPs) also bin join di demonstration wia dem tok say na to #SaveTheJudiciary.
According to di opposition NPP, one of di reasons why dem dey try to remove di chief justice, “na for di president to re-interpret di constitution (article 66) to pave way for a third term bid by President Mahama,” di minority chief whip, Frank Annoh Domoreh don tok.
Di NPP dey accuse di president and goment of “abuse of power and illegal process” of removing di CJ.
Even tho dem neva quote wey law or provision of di constitution wia di president don breach so far for di CJ removal process, di opposition NPP say di president gat to “reinstate di chief justice.”
One of di tins dem dey demand for dis demonstration na for di president to “revoke di suspend of di CJ immediately sake of im dey unconstitutional.”
“We no go allow make dem scatter di independence of di judiciary for Ghana. Dis demonstration na to protect our constitution, to ensure say di judiciary na our last bastion of democracy,” national organizer of di NPP Henry Nana Boakye don tok.
President Mahama nominate 7 judges for di Supreme Court
Even as di kasala ova di chief justice don dey kontinu, president Mahama don nominate seven judges for di Supreme Court.
On 25 April, di office of di president announce di names of di justices of di appeals court wia im nominate.
Di statement wia secretary to di president Dr Callistus Mahama don sign tok say “pursuant to article 144 (2) of di constitution, di president don nominate di following justices of di court of appeal to be considered for appointment to di Supreme Court.”
.Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei
.Justice Gbiel Simon Suurbaareh
.Justice Senyo Dzamefe
.Justice Kweku Taiwiah Ackaah-Boafo
.Justice Philip Bright Mensah
.Justice Janapare Bartels-Kodwo
.Justice Hafisata Amaleboba
At dis moment, di kontri Supreme Court get 14 justices, wia include di suspended chief justice.
Out of di 14, na only one wia John Mahama bin appoint during im first term of office in 2015; wia di oda one di current acting CJ, wia bin dey appointed by ex-president John Agyekum Kufour for 2008.
Apart from dis two, all di oda 12 justices for di Supreme Court, na president Nana Akufo-Addo bin appoint dem.
Sabi pipo say wit di new list of 7 nominations to di Supreme Court by President Mahama, na good tin.
But di opposition NPP say di new appointment to di Supreme Court na agenda by John mahama to “implement im third term agenda”.
Minority leader for parliament and NPP lawmaker Alexander Afenyo-Markin to for one press conference say “dis appointment neva be normal appointment, na strategy to pack di Supreme Court wit pipo wia dey loyal to di goment party.”
“To nominate dis 7 appeals court judges immediately afta di president bin suspend di chief justice, na dangerous political ambition, third-term agenda be dat”.
Chief Justice bin dey face at least 5 petitions against her for her conduct since di ex-president Nana Akufo-Addo bin appoint her as CJ in 2023
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, speaks next to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
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