Source: newsthemegh.com
Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo chastised former President John Mahama for his claims.
Former President John Mahama has said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had filled the judiciary with judges sympathetic to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that, if he were to win the presidency again, he would also appoint people to “balance” those appointed by President Akufo-Addo.
Prior to being named Chief Justice by President Akufo-Addo, Justice Sophia Akuffo worked as a judge for many years. She questioned whether John Mahama also appointed judges who supported the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and added that the former President’s remarks have the potential to undermine the judiciary.
Ms. Akuffo mentioned that she found partisan claims against judges disturbing in a recent interview on Asaase Radio.
John Mahama, a former president, has experience in the appointment of others. Was that due to the fact that they were NDC? She probed.
‘It always,’ she added, ‘upsets me when you get comments like: “Oh! This one is the NPP judge “Oh! This one is NDC”. And yet you have never seen the person on any party’s rally or platforms…And these are some of the unnecessary pressures that are put on the judiciary. What difference will that tag make to me, my career and my work?’ She wondered.
Former President John Mahama had accused President Akufo-Addo of accusing numerous judges in the nation’s higher courts and requesting that lawyers sympathetic to the NDC get ready for nominations to the bench should he win the presidency once more. In response, President Akufo-Addo said his criticism of the judiciary was harmful.