President must be stripped of power to appoint Chief Justice – Lawyer Kpebu

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has renewed calls for sweeping constitutional reforms to shield Ghana’s judiciary from political interference, following the dismissal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Point of View on Monday, September 1, Kpebu criticised the excessive powers granted to the executive under Article 144 of the 1992 Constitution, which gives the President authority to appoint the Chief Justice.

“To give judicial independence, we had started making a lot of noise, advocating since last year when her letter to Akufo-Addo came out,” he said.

He insisted that the provision allowing presidential control over the appointment process must be abolished. “In the Constitution, we don't want the President to be the one to appoint the CJs under Article 144. We don't want it, so we want 144 out.”

Kpebu stressed that insulating the judiciary from presidential influence was critical to maintaining its credibility and safeguarding its impartiality in politically sensitive cases.

Beyond appointments, he argued that Ghana needs a more defined system for addressing judicial misconduct. “One of the things we should do is that we should be able to categorise—to know what are serious offences and what are minors,” he said.

He warned that the absence of such clarity allows even minor infractions to be elevated to the level of grave offences, creating a dangerous precedent where removal from office could be applied unjustly.

Kpebu’s intervention has intensified calls for constitutional amendments to strengthen the separation of powers and reinforce public trust in Ghana’s democratic institutions.