CJ Torkonoo is a victim of circumstance, a means to an end — Political Scientist

A senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, says the removal process of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo is part of a broader plan by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Three separate petitions seeking the Chief Justice’s removal are currently before a five-member committee of inquiry set up by President John Dramani Mahama on the advice of the Council of State.

President Mahama, on Tuesday, April 22, suspended the Chief Justice with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the committee’s work.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3’s New Day show on Wednesday, May 7, Dr. Zaato stated that the Chief Justice has become a victim of circumstance and is being used as a means to an end.

According to him, her removal is intended to pave the way for the removal of the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Jean Mensa, and her deputies.

“I believe that this Chief Justice has become a victim of circumstances I don’t understand. She is a means to an end. The end is to get rid of the EC boss and all her deputies,” he claimed.

Dr. Zaato further alleged that the move is being pushed by hardliners within the NDC who have managed to convince President Mahama, despite his personal reservations.

“There are hawks in every political party, and maybe doves, and then you have those in the middle. The hawks want everything extreme.

“I want to believe that in this particular issue, the hawks within the NDC have been able to convince the President. They’ve won because I don’t think His Excellency would want the removal of a Chief Justice to be part of his legacy,” he said.

The political scientist also argued that the Chief Justice will not be reinstated after the committee’s probe and that Ghana will have a new Chief Justice by the end of the year.