The Kpebu Conundrum: When a Lawyer’s Faith Overrules Professional Humility

The legal profession in Ghana has long been regarded as a noble calling—one that enjoins its practitioners to uphold justice and safeguard the Republic. It is a vocation built on knowledge of the law and anchored in the timeless values of honesty, integrity, and devotion to duty. It is against this backdrop that the recent public statements and conduct of private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu must be examined.

Following the Chief Justice’s decision to dismiss petitions against the Electoral Commission Chairperson, her deputies, and the Special Prosecutor for lack of a prima facie case, Mr. Kpebu reportedly declared that his “faith will be shaken” if his own petition—seeking the removal of the Special Prosecutor—meets the same fate. The Presidency has since confirmed that Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie found no basis to advance any of the seven petitions previously submitted.

This declaration by Mr. Kpebu raises an unavoidable question: Is he suggesting that his petition contains substantially more compelling evidence than the seven others already dismissed? If not, then his threatened crisis of faith appears to be little more than emotional theatre. But if he is making that claim, then its implications must be confronted.

Mr. Kpebu cannot reasonably assert that he possesses superior legal insight or judgment compared to the seven other petitioners, all of whom are presumed to be qualified and in good standing at the Bar. The legal fraternity does not operate on a hierarchy of whose petition is more deserving of survival. The Constitution provides clear mechanisms for assessing such matters, and those mechanisms have been applied consistently.

What is particularly troubling is the pattern emerging around Mr. Kpebu’s public conduct. When he previously claimed that there were 16 petitions calling for the removal of the Special Prosecutor, he later admitted in an interview that he had merely repeated something he heard on a talk show “without verifying it.” The Office of the Special Prosecutor noted at the time that it was “concerning that a lawyer would make such a statement without checking the facts.”

More recently, Mr. Kpebu was arrested following an incident at the OSP premises where, according to official accounts, he insulted security personnel and reportedly declared that “the head of the agency is nobody and will be removed soon.” Whether one accepts the OSP’s version or Mr. Kpebu’s counter-claim, the frequency of such confrontations paints a picture that does not reflect well on the profession.

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, recently reminded the Ghana Bar Association that lawyers must exercise restraint when engaging in political matters to protect the credibility of the profession, and that allegiance must be to the Constitution and the Republic—not to transient political passions. This counsel applies with equal force to individual practitioners.

Mr. Kpebu would do well to remember that the destiny of Ghana is tied to the integrity of its legal profession. If the profession stands firm, the Republic stands firm. If it falters, the Republic stumbles. By framing the potential dismissal of his petition as a test of his personal faith, he elevates his own case above the law and above the institutions constitutionally mandated to interpret it.

There is a time for vigorous advocacy and a time for dignified acceptance of legal outcomes. By threatening a crisis of faith should his petition be dismissed, Mr. Kpebu undermines the very processes he has sworn to uphold and does a disservice to the profession he represents.

It is time for Mr. Kpebu to demonstrate greater humility and respect—for his profession, for the institutions of state, and for the constitutional order. The law is not a vehicle for personal vindication. It is a sacred trust. And those who hold it must hold themselves to a higher standard.

Comrade Yentik Gariba
Nalerigu, North-East
([email protected])