GBA knows when to sleep and when to wake — Kofi Asare

Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare

Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has weighed in on the Ghana Bar Association’s call for President John Dramani Mahama to revoke the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo.

Mr Asare, in a satirical social media post on Wednesday, April 30, sighted by ModernGhana News, expressed his thoughts on what he described as the GBA’s selective advocacy.

“I love the GBA. They know when to sleep and when to wake. Congrats!” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

In a five-point resolution issued on Saturday, April 26, at its 2025 mid-year conference held at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, the association addressed several national and professional concerns.

These included the Chief Justice’s suspension, the protracted Bawku conflict, and the unresolved parliamentary election in Ablekuma North.

It argued that the President’s action in suspending the Chief Justice was unlawful, stressing that the President, not being a judicial officer, lacks the constitutional mandate to exercise such discretion without a clearly established regulatory framework.

The Bar has threatened legal action should the President refuse to reinstate the Chief Justice.

However, critics say the Bar remained silent on several critical issues in the country — including matters involving the judiciary — under the NPP government, but has suddenly found its voice now that the NDC is in office.

Specifically, private legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory has questioned the Ghana Bar Association’s silence during what he describes as unconstitutional actions by the suspended Chief Justice.

“Where was the Bar when the suspended Chief Justice issued unconstitutional and unlawful administrative guidelines and practice directions — actions that not only violated legal norms but also resulted in financial loss to the Republic through ill-conceived launches?” he questioned.