Senior statesman and founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who is currently the subject of multiple petitions, advising her to pen down her resignation.
He defended President Mahama’s decision to refer the complaints to the appropriate constitutional committee and criticised those attacking the legal process.
“A complaint has been made to the head of state, so he is following the procedures. The procedures have not even been completed. The committee necessary to look into the case has not come out with their own findings. What is the noise people are making about?”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, NPP Founding Member
While acknowledging he is not a lawyer, Dr. Tamakloe argued that common sense and respect for public trust should guide the perception of the case. He offered advice on what he would have done as the Chief Justice.
“If I were the former CJ… What I would have done to save the country and my name and my family is to take a pen and resign. That’s all”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, NPP Founding Member
In a blistering critique of the party’s current trajectory, Dr. Tamakloe attributed its problems not to internal factions, but to a failure in leadership, which he links directly to former President Nana Akufo-Addo.
“It’s not a question of factions in the party, it’s a question of leadership. I keep on saying that all the time… and I personally have really been shocked by the leadership of Akufo-Addo because I had a lot of faith in him”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, NPP Founding Member
Laying bare his discontent, Dr. Tamakloe expressed disillusionment with the leadership the party exhibited under Akufo-Addo and argued that the former president remains a powerful, disruptive force behind the scenes, despite no longer holding office.
According to him, the party’s persistent turmoil cannot be resolved without addressing this hidden influence.
Dr. Tamakloe expressed regret that President Akufo-Addo surrounded himself with close relatives and ignored expert voices, including respected economist Kwame Pianim.
This, he said, transformed the administration into what he called a “family affair,” shutting out valuable counsel and planting the seeds for today’s party crisis.
He did not mince words about the ongoing strife within the NPP, citing the thank you tour as a catalyst for further unrest.
“I even talked about how that would rather create more problems in the party and it started. Look at the stabbing in Kumasi, which led to Kennedy Agyapong just leaving the group. I spoke about it two days prior”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, NPP Founding Member
Dr. Tamakloe said he finds it frustrating when his attempts to offer guidance are ignored by the younger generation of NPP leadership.
“The boys there now – their interest is not the development of this country. Their interest is to come, steal, and make money” he said, accusing many of the current crop of politicians of prioritising personal enrichment over national development.
He singled out Former National Signals Bureau boss, Kwabena Adu Boahene, expressing disbelief at the corruption charges against him and reiterated that accountability must be enforced by the current administration led by President John Dramani Mahama.
“So I have warned President Mahama. I said it on the air that if they fail to prosecute these people who have stolen money, I’m telling you, they will never be forgiven”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, NPP Founding Member
Bawumia’s Leadership Doubted
Turning to the question of succession within the NPP, Dr. Tamakloe dismissed the notion that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia can provide the kind of bold and decisive leadership needed to rescue the party.
“In my book, I say that with the mess in which we find ourselves, we need a kind of leadership that can make decisive decisions without any undue interference”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, NPP Founding Member
“I doubt Bawumia has that temerity as a leader,” he said, casting doubt on Bawumia’s independence and ability to manage party affairs free from external pressures.
Dr. Tamakloe called for introspection within the NPP and insisted that those clinging to power in the face of widespread discontent do so at the expense of party unity and national progress.
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