The removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has been described by New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Old Tafo, Ekow Vincent Assafuah, as a dangerous blow to Ghana’s democracy and an outright assault on judicial independence.
In a post on Facebook, Mr. Assafuah argued that the move was less about accountability and more about partisan manipulation of the Constitution.
“The removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo is not just a constitutional setback; it is a calculated political maneuver that strikes at the very heart of our democracy,” he wrote.
He accused President John Dramani Mahama of exploiting flaws in Article 146 of the Constitution, noting that with eleven members of the Council of State appointed by him, the supposed “consultation” that determined a prima facie case against the Chief Justice was nothing but a “rubber stamp for executive interest.”
Assafuah warned that the precedent set by this removal has reduced the Chief Justice into a political casualty at the whim of the President.
“Her tenure has been made coterminous with that of the President, reducing the head of our judiciary into a political casualty at the whim of the executive. That is not democracy, it is executive capture of the judiciary,” he stated.
The MP further lamented that even the Human Rights Court had refused to hear the Chief Justice’s petition, raising deeper concerns about access to justice for ordinary Ghanaians.
“If the Chief Justice herself cannot secure a fair hearing, then what hope exists for the ordinary Ghanaian?” he quizzed.
According to him, this episode represents “an attack on the rule of law and a betrayal of the promise of Freedom and Justice.” He urged Parliament and citizens to fight for reforms that would insulate the judiciary from political manipulation.
