Salam Mustapha, the National Youth Organizer for Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), issued a stark warning on Saturday, signaling that a future NPP government could remove any Chief Justice appointed during former President John Dramani Mahama’s tenure.
Speaking during an interview on Channel One TV, Mr. Mustapha condemned what he described as the “crude” suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, attributing the move to political interference rather than a legitimate legal process.
“Whether His Excellency John Dramani Mahama wants a third term or not, this is a crude way to go about it,” Mr. Mustapha said, asserting that the development undermines the independence of the judiciary.
His comments come amid growing political tension following Justice Torkornoo’s suspension, which critics say reflects a broader trend of politicization within key democratic institutions.
Mr. Mustapha suggested that the precedent being set—linking the office of the Chief Justice to the party in power—could prompt a cycle of politically motivated appointments and removals. “What essentially you are doing is making the office of the Chief Justice coterminous with the party in power,” he said.
In a direct message to the current administration, Mustapha vowed that any Chief Justice appointed under Mahama could face removal under a future NPP-led government. “If you go ahead with what is going on, with the suspension that has been handed to her, and then a committee comes and says she should go, then anyone you bring, by the grace of God, anytime we come into office, we’ll remove any CJ you put there.”
Source:TheDotNews