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Sophia Akuffo, a former Chief Justice, has expressed her dissatisfaction of former president John Dramani Mahama’s recent remarks in which he claimed that President Akufo-Addo had stacked the judiciary with NPP-affiliated judges.
Sophia Akuffo condemned Mahama’s comments, calling them needless and perhaps damaging to the integrity of the judiciary.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), according to the NDC flagbearer at the third annual attorneys’ conference of the NDC in Akosombo, has stacked the courts with judges who support the ruling party.
If the NDC wins the elections in 2024, he suggested that the NDC lawyers should be prepared to be nominated to the bench to bring balance.
“We know they [NPP] have packed the courts because they fear accountability when they leave office. We must be prepared as NDC lawyers to go to the bench to balance the current situation,” Mahama said.
The former Chief Justice responded by saying that such remarks unfairly damage the reputation of the judiciary in an interview with Asaase Radio.
She questioned if Mahama’s nominations during his administration were influenced by political allegiance and stressed the significance of avoiding such labels, which could put unwarranted pressure on the court.
“He has been through the process of appointing other people before, so was it that because they were NDC?…it always upsets me when you get comments like oh this one is NPP judge, oh this one is NDC and yet you have never seen the person on any party’s rally or platforms.”
She added “And these are some of the unnecessary pressures that are put on the judiciary. What difference will that tag make to me, my career and my work?…sometimes it gets to you.”
On Monday, September 11, President Akufo-Addo harshly condemned Mr. Mahama for his comments made during a speech at the Bar Conference in Cape Coast.
He called Mahama’s remarks “very dangerous” and a “brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary”.
The GBA added that while it agreed with Akufo-Addo’s worries regarding judicial independence, it disagreed with his approaches.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
