The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has urged the judiciary to stand together as one body and make a full statement and condemn the attempt to remove the Chief Justice.
He also urged the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to stand for the judiciary, and Civil Society Organisations to stand for the judiciary.
At a press conference held after a National Executive Committee meeting of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Wednesday, April 16, he said, “We are aware of attempts by persons in government to push for the removal of the Chief Justice from office. The judiciary should not be seen as part of the party-political system in our country. All we need is an impartial judiciary to dispense justice.
“What is happening is unacceptable, and it is clear that the NDC wants to infiltrate the judiciary and make it partisan. But my advice to the judiciary is to stand together. Let not somebody create an impression of one of you and think that just by dislodging one of you, you will be the next. The next day, you will be the next,” the Minority Leader said in Accra.
Also commenting on the attempt to remove the Chief Justice, the Director of Policy Engagement and Partnerships at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has stated that since 2013, cases before the Supreme Court have become increasingly politicized, especially due to election petitions.
As courts handle more political cases, accusations of bias grow, he said.
This, in his view, stems from Parliament’s failure to resolve political disputes internally, pushing them onto the Judiciary.
Dr Pumpuni Asante stated that while the current petition to remove the Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo may be too late to stop, even a successful removal won’t fix the perception of bias.
“The real issue lies in unchecked administrative powers and the lack of limits on Supreme Court appointments. Legislative reform should be the way forward and the opportunity to pursue it is now,” he wrote in an article.
President John Dramani Mahama forwarded three petitions calling for the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to the Council of State for advice, in accordance with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
A statement from the Presidency’s Communications Directorate on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, confirmed that the petitions had been submitted by various individuals, urging the President to take action against the Chief Justice.
Following constitutional procedures, President Mahama has referred the matter to the Council of State to begin the consultation process required before any further action can be taken.
The Chief Justice subsequently responded to the petition.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has set May 6 to hear the injunction applications against the petition to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo from office.
The panel of four sitting instead of five, chaired by Justice Osei Bonsu, noted that the adjournment had been occasioned due to “unavoidable reason”.
Justice Samuel Asiedu, the fifth member of the panel, was absent when the case was called on Wednesday, April 16.
At the last adjourned date, former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, representing Old Tafo Member of Parliament as a plaintiff in one of the injunction suits, averred that the president ought to hold on with the consultation processes with the Council of State.
He noted that the law prohibits the continuation of court processes when there’s an injunction application.
But reacting to his assertion, Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine indicated that no law prohibits the President from carrying out his constitutional mandate.
“He needs to understand that this is the performance of a constitutional duty and the law is very clear that you cannot enjoin the performance of a constitutional or public obligation,” the A-G noted.
