Parliament approves seven Justices to Supreme Court amid sharp division
Parliament has approved the appointment of seven justices to the Supreme Court, despite strong opposition from the Minority side.
The approved nominees are Justices Senyo Dzamefe, Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, Gbeil Simon Suurbaareh, Philip Bright Mensah, Janapare Adzua Bartels-Kodwo, Hafisata Amaleboba, and Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo—all of whom currently serve on the Court of Appeal.
The decision followed the adoption of a report by the 11-member Appointments Committee, which vetted the nominees. The committee's proceedings saw a split vote: all Minority members rejected the nominations, while all Majority members endorsed them.
Presenting the committee’s report, Chairman Bernard Ahiafor called on the House to adopt it, praising the competence and ethical standards of the nominees.
“The committee is satisfied that the nominees possess the requisite qualifications, judicial temperament and commitment to constitutional values expected of justices of the Supreme Court,” he said.
He noted, however, that the Minority’s rejection stemmed from deeper concerns. According to Mr Ahiafor, the Minority argued that appointing seven new justices amid the suspension of the Chief Justice was not simply about filling vacancies but appeared to be an attempt to "reshape the constitutional order." He added that they believed the Supreme Court had failed in recent times to defend basic principles of justice.
“The NDC had previously opposed the nomination of two justices, citing judicial bloat,” he quoted the Minority as saying.
In supporting the motion, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga argued there was no constitutional breach in the President’s decision to nominate the justices. He emphasised that even the Minority acknowledged the competence of the nominees.
“Mr Speaker, on the basis of the committee's recommendation, I do not think we should belabour the point about whether or not we should approve these nominees. They are obviously qualified, capable, competent and will do the work. I want to assure the Minority Leader that all the questions he had asked have been answered in the report,” Mr Ayariga said.
But Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin pushed back forcefully. While acknowledging the strong performances of the nominees during vetting, he warned of broader constitutional implications.
“Even as we debate these appointments, our Chief Justice sits suspended through procedurally questionable processes that make a mockery of Articles 146 and 296 of our Constitution,” he stated.
“Let us be abundantly clear about what we are witnessing; it is an Executive that suspends one Chief Justice, while simultaneously installing seven new Justices.”
He insisted the timing and manner of the appointments suggested an attempt to restructure the judiciary rather than respond to vacancies.
“It is the reason why, without any urgency, the report was laid today and the government is in a rush to take this report and use its might in numbers to approve it,” Mr Afenyo-Markin added, describing the process as executive overreach that threatens judicial independence.
MP for Tamale Central, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, also criticised the appointments, highlighting the sheer number of judges appointed under the NPP government. He claimed that under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, 15 Supreme Court Justices, 48 Court of Appeal Justices, and 113 High Court Justices were appointed. He said the recent nominations were part of a broader strategy.
“Mr Speaker, after making all these appointments, in the dying days of the tenure as President, Mr Akufo-Addo anticipated that some Justices would be retiring and he then brought nominations to this House in order that when they retired, he would still have the numbers that he wanted to have on the Bench,” Dr Murtala said.
The seven nominees were put forward by President John Dramani Mahama in accordance with Article 144(2) of the 1992 Constitution. The nominations were contained in a letter dated April 29, 2025, signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, and addressed to the acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.