The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has dismissed claims that the government is plotting to remove suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from office.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Tuesday, August 26, Mr. Nketiah insisted that the executive has not taken any steps toward her removal but is only fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities.
“The executive has done nothing about removing the Chief Justice,” he stated. “If anything, the executive is simply upholding the constitution. In my view, the government has not acted in any way to oust her.”
His remarks come amid growing debate over alleged tensions between the executive and the judiciary. Some critics have argued that recent political decisions amount to an attack on judicial independence, an assertion Nketiah strongly rejected.
“The judiciary is not under attack. What is happening is reform. When there are problems in the judiciary, reforms are necessary to ensure it carries out its constitutional mandate,” he explained.
He emphasized that reforms are essential for strengthening Ghana’s democracy, adding that all arms of government must operate within their constitutional limits.
Background
On April 22, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama suspended Chief Justice Torkornoo after a prima facie case was established on three petitions alleging misconduct and incompetence.
The President subsequently set up a five-member inquiry panel, chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, to investigate the allegations. Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the most senior Supreme Court judge, was appointed as Acting Chief Justice.
The suspension, however, triggered widespread controversy. The Ghana Bar Association condemned the move as unconstitutional, arguing that President Mahama failed to publish the required constitutional instrument under Article 296.
Similarly, the Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) criticized the decision, pointing to alleged political bias in the composition of the inquiry panel.
Chief Justice Torkornoo has refused to resign, describing the suspension as “arbitrary” and “cruel,” while the opposition NPP has warned that the development poses a serious threat to Ghana’s democratic integrity.
