Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader, has harshly criticized President John Mahama’s decision to suspend Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, calling it “a negative reset” that jeopardizes the judiciary’s independence.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin made the point that efforts to remove the Chief Justice threaten the nation’s democracy while speaking at a protest against President Mahama’s actions on Monday, May 5, organized by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and other allies.
He urged judges to rise above political influence and questioned the motivations underlying the action in his remarks.
“The judiciary is supposed to be a neutral actor in this democratic discourse. The judiciary is our last hope, and we believe that what is happening undermines our democracy and the rule of law,” he emphasised.
He labeled the petitions that started the procedures that resulted in the Chief Justice’s suspension “flimsy” and “pedestrian,” and he charged that the Council of State had failed the nation by allowing the three letters that demanded the Chief Justice’s removal.
“For the Chief Justice to be singled out for this unfortunate attack… the Council of State has failed the country. We want you as an institution to put aside your individual differences and know that it is your institution that is under attack. Maybe today it is Torkornoo; tomorrow it might be you,” he warned.
Judges must maintain their independence from political parties, Mr. Afenyo-Markin emphasized.
“You don’t serve at the whims and caprices of a political party and a government. If you wanted to be a politician, you would have been in a political party,” he said, adding that what is happening to Her Ladyship is “repugnant to good conscience.”
Additionally, he charged the administration with hypocrisy, pointing out that despite having previously opposed the Supreme Court’s growth, it had now nominated seven additional justices under dubious conditions.
“You know the process of appointing judges to the Supreme Court is not what has been used. So this reset is a negative reset,” he said
Mr. Afenyo-Markin also issued a warning against future political retaliation.
“I also want to take this opportunity… to draw the attention of the nation to come to terms with the fact that there must be an end to bitterness. If this vicious cycle of ‘you did it to me; I will do it to you’ continues, there will be no further hope for our democracy,” he reiterated.
Given the prospect of a new government in 2028, he cautioned that such partisan acts might come back to harm the current judicial personnel.
Source: newsthemegh.com