Did You Appoint NDC Judges In Your Tenure? Former CJ Asks Mahama
Ghana’s thirteenth Chief Justice (CJ), Sophia Akufo has questioned the yardstick used by former President John Dramani Mahama in the appointment of judges during his stint as the head of government and state.
Her query followed a controversial statement by Mr Mahama who is seeking a comeback to power to the effect that the Akufo-Addo-led government has filled courts with judges affiliated to his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The comment has received condemnation from both the public and political fronts and Sophia Akufo is the latest to add a voice.
In a yet-to-be-aired interview on Asase Radio, the country’s second female CJ in history reacted to the comment saying, “He’s been through the process of appointing other people before so was it because they were in NDC?”
“It always upsets me when you get comments like ‘Oh this one is NPP judge, this one is NDC judge.’
And yet you’ve never seen that party on any party’s platforms and these are some of the unnecessary pressures that are put on the judiciary.”
“Sometimes it gets to you {as a judge},” she divulged as she could relate to the experience.
Background
Mahama made the comment during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) annual lawyers’ conference on September 2, 2023.
In his speech, he said President Akufo-Addo has “appointed the biggest number of judges onto the bench, it is more than 80 towards 100 and counting. He has packed the court and we know they have packed the court because they want to avoid accountability after they have left office.”
He further assured the lawyers that a future NDC government will engage in similar appointments.
At the 23rd Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Conference in Cape Coast on September 10, President Akufo-Addo criticized the comment as “extremely dangerous”.
“Not only are these concepts new in our public discourse but they are also extremely dangerous and represent the brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by allegedly responsible politicians,” he said.
