The Presidency has firmly denied any political agenda in the handling of petitions seeking the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, insisting that President John Dramani Mahama is strictly adhering to constitutional processes.
At a press briefing held at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, Presidential Spokesman and Minister of State in-charge of Government Communications, Mr. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, pushed back against claims that the President is orchestrating the process to remove the Chief Justice for political gain. He described such suggestions as unfounded and misleading.
According to Mr. Ofosu, the President is merely following the dictates of the 1992 Constitution, which requires that all petitions of this nature be acted upon in a prescribed manner. He emphasised that the President, who was sworn into office by the Chief Justice herself, is constitutionally bound to act on such matters and has no room for personal discretion.
The press conference was in response to comments made earlier by the suspended Chief Justice, who suggested that the ongoing process might be politically motivated. Mr. Ofosu called those comments regrettable and stressed that no public official, including the Chief Justice, is above the law.
Quoting former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, he noted: “When you join the game, you play by the rules,” adding that Ghana’s laws apply equally to all officeholders.
Mr. Ofosu also reiterated that the Presidency had deliberately maintained silence on the issue to respect the constitutional requirement for confidentiality. He, however, said the government was now compelled to clarify its position due to what he called misrepresentations at the Chief Justice’s media engagement.
He concluded that President Mahama had acted strictly within the law at every stage and that any attempts to impute ulterior motives lacked evidence and should be disregarded.
