‘Resign and join NDC’ — NPP tells Chief Justice over alleged political commentary

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, accusing him of compromising the independence and neutrality of Ghana’s Judiciary.

This comes amid increasing criticism over remarks by the Chief Justice during a working visit to the Mineral Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2.

The Chief Justice had commended MIIF for what he described as its impressive turnaround compared to the previous administration.

He said the performance of some state institutions under the current administration had made him question what had been done over the previous eight years.

The comments have attracted criticism from sections of the public who argue that the reference to the previous eight years carries a political undertone and could create an impression of bias on the part of the head of the Judiciary

Reacting to this, the NPP accused the Chief Justice of showing undue closeness to the Executive and called on him to either retract his comments and vow of loyalty to the President’s agenda or resign and formally join the NDC.

“Let it be stated plainly: this is not the language of a Chief Justice. It is the language of a party propagandist, of a kind exclusively reserved for NDC communicators and serial callers, and it has no place whatsoever in the mouth of the head of Ghana’s Judiciary,” the party said in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, on Thursday, September 3.

The NPP noted that the Chief Justice’s comments are inconsistent with the constitutional requirement for the Judiciary to operate independently and without political influence.

The party cited Articles 125 and 127 of the 1992 Constitution, which establish the Judiciary as an independent arm of government and require judicial officers to uphold their responsibilities without fear, favour, affection or ill will.

“A Chief Justice swears a single oath, and it is to the Constitution: to no President, no party and no agenda,” the NPP stressed.

The party linked the concern to the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative and ongoing cases involving persons associated with the NPP.

“The Judiciary belongs neither to the President, nor to the NDC, nor to the Chief Justice; it belongs to the people of Ghana, who are entitled under the Constitution to courts that are blind to politics,” the party emphasised.