The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has criticised the suspension of the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkonoo, describing the move as politically driven and a threat to Ghana’s democratic foundations.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, April 22, in reaction to comments by Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai, who described the suspension as a “technical” process, Mr Ahiagbah firmly disagreed.
“I’ve heard the Deputy Attorney General say that this is technical, and I disagree with him very, very strongly. The process may be technical, but the motive is political,” he stated.
Mr Ahiagbah warned that undermining the judiciary to settle political scores could have grave consequences on the country’s democracy.
Read also: Mahama suspends Chief Justice after setting up committee to probe petitions
He alleged that the suspension is part of a larger plan by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to ultimately remove the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, from office.
“The politics of it is that they want to remove the Chief Justice to pave the way to target the Electoral Commission. That is very egregious and most unfortunate for the NDC to be doing,” he said, warning that the implications could be dire for Ghana’s democracy.
Mr Ahiagbah disclosed that the President had received at least three petitions for the removal of the Electoral Commission chairperson, some dating back to January. However, he questioned why those petitions had not been referred to the Chief Justice as required by the Constitution.
“In my view, the President knows how flimsy those petitions are and that this Chief Justice would not entertain them. So, the strategy seems to be to first remove the Chief Justice and replace them with someone more compliant,” he alleged.
When asked whether the NPP’s own actions during the removal of former EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei set a precedent, he dismissed the comparison.
“That does not compare to this matter. In Charlotte Osei’s case, there were internal disputes among the EC staff, which formed the basis for her removal. This current situation is nothing like that,” he asserted.
This follows President John Mahama’s suspension of the Chief Justice on the grounds that he has determined that sufficient grounds exist to warrant further inquiry after some three individuals filed a petition to remove the Chief Justice for alleged misconduct and incompetence.
The President has since asked the Council of State to offer him advice on how to handle the issue.
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