Supreme Court Justice nominee Janapare Bartels-Kodwo has said per what the Constitution says, no president can hold office for more than two terms.
Asked for her views on the presidential term limit, during her vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, June 17, she said, “It is crystal clear, the president cannot hold office for more than two terms, period.”
Another Supreme Court nominee, Justice Senyo Dzamefe, who was better earlier, also said he did not know what interpretation to give to the two-term presidential limit, apart from serving the two terms as the constitution states.
He made the point that what the Constitution says is what should be done. Hence, if the constitution says two terms, then a president can only serve two terms.
“What the constitution says is what must be done; if the constitution says two terms, I don’t know what interpretation can be put to it,” he said during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday, June 16.
He stressed “Mr. Chairman, the honourable member referred to the constitution, and that is what the constitution says. So I can’t have anything against what is in the constitution.”
Touching of the perceived politicisation of appointment to the Supreme Court she said, “I don’t see the politicisation of the appointment of supreme court judges. It is only a perception. I have not experienced it.”
Justice Bartels-Kodwo further observed that the Supreme Court has been overburdened with cases over the years.
“The load at the supremely court has grown bigger over the years; it will be good if some cases are terminated at the Court of Appeal,” he said.
The issue of politicisation of the apex court has been at the centre of media discussions lately.
For instance, a Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, noted that Supreme Court justices are appointed on the basis of their affiliation to either the New Patriotic Party (NPP) or the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He described the apex court as a political organization.
Kpebu made this comment on TV3’s Key Point Saturday, November 2, 2024 while contributing to a discussion on the decision of the Supreme Court to refuse the application of Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin who was seeking to set aside the orders of the court in relation to the four seats declared vacant.
“On the matter of jurisdiction, we can’t fault them right now. We can fault the constitution; the constitution has given so much power to the President to appoint. This matter is a case between NPP and NDC shrouded under constitutional interpretation.
“The appointment of the Supreme Court justice is not by examination…it is by affiliation, whether NPP or NDC, it is the same. In short, the Supreme Court is a political organisation, NDC and NPP choose their friends to the Supreme Court.”
