The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate for the 2024 general elections, Former President John Dramani Mahama, has strongly criticized Ghana’s judicial system for what he described as blatant inconsistencies in its handling of parliamentary seat disputes.
Speaking to a crowd as part of his campaign tour in the Oti Region, former President Mahama highlighted what he believes is an evident double standard in the Supreme Court’s recent decisions concerning the four vacant parliamentary seats.
The National Democratic Congress flagbearer and leader’s remarks centred on a recent Supreme Court intervention regarding four parliamentary seats declared vacant by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsfordd Bagbin.
“You see what goes wrong comes round. Now, some seats were declared vacant by the speaker. Then they quickly ran to the Supreme Court.
“The supreme court that earlier said it had no jurisdiction over vacancies in parliament suddenly issued a stay of execution against the speaker and one of the reasons they gave is that less than two months to an election, it is not fair for the people of those 4 constituencies not to have a representative in parliament. I mean, what kind of justice is this?”
Former President John Dramani Mahama, NDC 2024 Presidential Candidate
This decision, former President Mahama argued, starkly contrasts with the treatment of constituencies under opposition representation, particularly Assin North, where the NDC MP, James Gyakye Quayson, faced a prolonged legal battle and was kept out of Parliament for nearly two years.
“Nobody is superior to another in Ghana. And the justice system must be consistent,” former President Mahama asserted. He emphasized that inconsistency in the judicial process undermines justice.
“If justice is inconsistent, it is not fair to the people of this country. Because you treat people one way, where in four years, they can be without a member of parliament, it doesn’t matter.
“Their representation is not important to you. James Gyakye Quayson should be out of parliament for almost two years. It doesn’t matter. Because the Assin North people are not your people.”
Former President John Dramani Mahama, NDC 2024 Presidential Candidate
His tone conveyed a deep frustration, not just with the legal outcomes but with what he suggested is a bias in favour of the ruling New Patriotic Party.
The Cardinal Sin of the 4th Republic
The National Democratic Congress Presidential Candidate further compared the Court’s leniency toward the four MPs to the long-standing disenfranchisement of the people of Santrofii, Akpafu, Lolobi, and Likpe (SALL).
Describing the development as the “cardinal sin of the 4th Republic.” former President Mahama underscored that this disparity is more than a legal issue but a matter of fundamental human rights.
“The people of Santrofii, Akpofu, Lolobi, and Likpe are not inferior citizens of Ghana. The citizens of Assin North are not inferior citizens of Ghana compared to the four MPs that the supreme court is struggling to defend their representation”.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, NDC 2024 Presidential Candidate
Former President John Dramani Mahama stated that for Ghana’s democracy to truly thrive, reforms within the judiciary are not just desirable but essential. “One of the important things that we need for our democracy to survive is for our judiciary to carry out reforms that make it consistent, that make it fair, and that make it able to dispense justice without fear or favor,” he emphasized.
In his address, former President Mahama called on Ghanaians to remain vigilant and to recognize that their rights to equal representation and fair judicial treatment are cornerstones of Ghana’s democracy.
He concluded his speech with a warning that these inconsistencies if left unaddressed, could undermine the very fabric of Ghana’s democratic system.
He affirmed that the NDC would continue to advocate for judicial reforms and equality in representation, vowing that the days of selective justice must come to an end for Ghana to truly move forward.
READ ALSO: IEA Criticizes BoG’s Ghana Gold Coin Initiative as a Short-Term Fix for Economic Woes
