Arthur Kennedy accuses NPP, NDC of hypocrisy over CJ’s remarks
Dr. Arthur Kennedy has criticised what he describes as partisan double standards in the debate over Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s recent comments on state-owned enterprises.
The Chief Justice has faced criticism after a series of visits to state-owned institutions, including the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF).
During his September 2, 2026 visit to MIIF, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie praised the institution’s performance and questioned what had happened to Ghana during the previous eight years.
“Sometimes when we hear how well some state organisations are doing now, we wonder what we really have been doing in the past eight years and how Ghana could have sunk so low,” he said in a self-recorded video he shared online.
The comments have triggered debate over whether the Chief Justice crossed into political commentary.
Former Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has described the Chief Justice’s tours of state-owned statutory corporations and parastatals as “shocking and unprecedented.”
Dr. Kennedy, however, began his criticism by addressing members of both major political parties.
He said NPP members who previously defended similar conduct by another public official but are now criticising the Chief Justice should not complain.
“All the NPP people who saw nothing wrong with what TOKONO did, but see everything wrong with this, are hypocrites,” he said.
“Equally, all the NDC people who saw everything wrong with what TOKONO did, but see everything right about this, are hypocrites too,” he said.
Dr. Kennedy said the issue should therefore not be approached based only on political affiliation.
After making that point, he turned his attention to the Chief Justice himself.
He said Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s comments were inappropriate for the holder of the country’s highest judicial office.
“Indeed, you sounded like an NDC official, unfortunately,” Dr. Kennedy said.
He stressed that his criticism was about the conduct of the office rather than an endorsement of one political side.
According to him, the Chief Justice should avoid actions that could create the impression that the judiciary is taking a political position.
He therefore called on Justice Baffoe-Bonnie to reconsider the remarks and apologise.
“The Chief Justice does not need ethical laws to know that what he did was wrong,” he said.
Dr. Kennedy said the Chief Justice is expected to serve as an example for the judiciary and urged him not to undermine public confidence in the institution.