A leading member of the Movement for Change, Solomon Owusu, has said that he will petition for former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo to be removed from the Council of State.
He said, as a member of the Council of State, Mrs Akuffo’s recent statements expressing dissatisfaction with the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from office, amounts to a breach of the oath of secrecy.
Mr Owusu made his intentions known during an interview on TV3’s New Day with Roland Walker on September 24.
“… she will be the next person that I will petition to be removed from the Council of State for breaching of oath of secrecy. What she has done is so dangerous, it must never be encouraged in this country. And I’m serving notice to her that I will go after her,” he declared.
“She has occupied the position of the Chief Justice of this country before. If you go to the Council of State, she is in charge of the legal, constitutional and petitions committee. Every petition that goes to the Council of State, it goes to her first. She took part in the consultation with the President to establish the prima facie case. You knew all the issues surrounding it, how on earth would you then turn and go back to the committee and serve as a witness?” he wondered.
It is recalled that in an exclusive interview with TV3’s Joseph Ackah-Blay, Sophia Akuffo said no Chief Justice or Judge deserves to experience the ordeal of Madam Gertrude Torkornoo has been subjected to.
Speaking on September 2, 2025 the member of the Council of State described the processes to remove Torkornoo from office as a “rigmarole”, underserving of any Judge or Chief Justice.
“I pray to God, that no Chief Justice, no Judge should go through this rigmarole again,” she noted.
According to Sophia Akuffo, former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo did not get a fair trial in the process leading to her removal as the Chief Justice.
She explained that it was handled as though it were a treason trial.
“She did not get a fair trial. Even though it is not a trial strictly speaking, it was handled as though it were a treason trial,” Sophia Akuffo told TV3 in an interview.
Background
The Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo was removed from office by President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, September 1.
“President John Dramani Mahama has, in accordance with Article 146(9) of the 1992 Constitution, removed the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkonoo, from office with immediate effect. This follows receipt of the report of the Committee constituted under Article 146(6) to inquire into a petition submitted by a Ghanaian citizen, Mr Daniel Ofori. After considering the petition and the evidence, the Committee found that the grounds of stated misbehaviour under Article 146(1) had been established and recommended her removal from office. Under Article 146(9), the President is required to act in accordance with the committee’s recommendation,” the statement said.
This comes after President John Dramani Mahama received the report of the Article 146 Committee of Inquiry set up to investigate petitions calling for the removal of Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.
This followed the determination of a prima facie case in three separate petitions that sought the removal of the Chief Justice from office. In line with constitutional requirements, President Mahama constituted a five-member committee to conduct the inquiry.
The committee was chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang of the Supreme Court. Other members included Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo, former Auditor-General; Major Flora Bazaanura Dalugo of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF); and Professor James Sefah Dzisah, Associate Professor at the University of Ghana.
The President is expected to study the committee’s findings and communicate his decision in accordance with the provisions of the 1992 Constitution.
Justice Torkornoo was suspended on April 22, 2025, following the establishment of a prima facie case against her after the receipt of three separate petitions.
Her suspension, carried out in line with Article 146(6) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, was done in consultation with the Council of State.
Subsequently, a five-member committee chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang was appointed by the President to investigate the allegations.
Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, said after presenting the report to the president that “To the committee, our mandate and remit as set out under Article 146 Clauses (7) and (8) of the Constitution is clear and it is to inquire into the petitions in camera, hear the person against whom the petitions have been brought in her defence by herself or by a lawyer or other expert of her choice and then to make a recommendation to the President.”
Below is his full speech…
Your Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, the Chief of Staff, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, other Ministers of State present, Legal Counsel to the President, Lawyer Marrietta Brew and other officials of the Presidency, representatives of the Media present, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Mr President, in March this year, you received three petitions pursuant to Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution for the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude A. E. Sackey Torkornoo, and the public was made aware of this fact. The subsequent processes, as dictated by the Constitution and the decisions of our Supreme Court, were followed, culminating in the establishment of our committee under Article 146, Clause 6 of the Constitution. The nation was further duly informed, and when we commenced our work on 15th May, 2025, the Minister of State for Government Communications was briefed and he notified the public about it.
There has been considerable interest in our work shown through comments and opinions by Ghanaians and international observers as well. However, the committee restrained itself all along from reacting even when blatant false statements made about members of the committee and our work. To the committee, our mandate and remit as set out under Article 146 Clauses (7) and (8) of the Constitution is clear and it is to inquire into the petitions in camera, hear the person against whom the petitions have been brought in her defence by herself or by a lawyer or other expert of her choice and then to make a recommendation to the President.
As I have said supra, three petitions were referred to us and though all three petitions seek for the same relief, each petition is distinct and would succeed or fail on its individual strengths and weaknesses.
