Deputy Chief of Staff Stan Dogbe on Monday defended President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to suspend the Chief Justice, dismissing accusations of political retaliation and affirming the administration’s commitment to constitutional governance.

Speaking after receiving a petition from a coalition of political parties protesting the suspension, Dogbe said the peaceful demonstration underscored the strength of Ghana’s democratic institutions under Mahama’s leadership.

“We are happy that your process started this morning and ended very peacefully. That in itself is a very strong message about the democracy that President Mahama wants to instill,” Dogbe told demonstrators, led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, at the Jubilee House.

“President Mahama is not a retaliatory president,” he added, distancing the administration from what he characterized as the combative politics of the previous government.

The demonstration, dubbed the “Article 21 Demo,” was organized in response to what participants allege is a politically motivated suspension of the Chief Justice—a move they argue threatens the independence of the judiciary. Critics, including the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), have described the suspension as a direct assault on the rule of law.

“Save the judiciary from President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC’s attacks,” NPP Director of Communications Richard Ahiagbah posted on X, formerly Twitter. “This is about the survival of the rule of law and our fundamental freedoms.”

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has also condemned the suspension, calling it unconstitutional. In a formal statement issued April 26, the GBA asserted that President Mahama acted without the necessary legal framework to exercise such discretion under Article 296 of the 1992 Constitution.

“There ought to have been regulations—like a constitutional instrument—before exercising such discretion,” GBA spokesperson Saviour Kudze said. “In the absence of that, members at our April 26 meeting agreed that the President had acted outside the bounds of the Constitution.”

The GBA has called for the immediate reversal of the suspension, escalating the legal and political standoff.

Source:TheDotNews