National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has dismissed claims that Ghana’s judiciary is under attack following a petition calling for the removal of the suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkonoo.
Speaking in response to growing political debate over the issue, Mr. Nketiah clarified that what is unfolding is not an assault on judicial independence but rather a constitutional process designed to reform state institutions.
He noted that Ghana’s constitution gives citizens the right to petition when they believe state institutions are failing to fulfill their mandate. According to him, the ongoing process involving the Chief Justice is simply a reflection of this constitutional provision at work.
“The executive has done nothing about the removal of the chief justice. If anything at all, the executive is undertaking their responsibilities as far as upholding the constitution is concerned.”
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
Mr. Nketiah emphasized that the petition against the Chief Justice did not originate from the presidency or the NDC as a political party but from ordinary citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
He insisted that President John Mahama was merely fulfilling his obligation to act on the petition as required by law.
“Once the citizens petition, another person who is elected and is bound to also obey the constitution, he is bound to take some follow-up actions. And that is what President Mahama has done, and the system is running. So let’s see where it takes us”.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
NDC Driving No Agenda
The NDC Chairman rejected suggestions that his party was driving an agenda against the judiciary. Instead, he argued that the debate should focus on declining public confidence in the justice system.
Citing independent assessments, he observed that civil society groups and opinion surveys consistently highlight dwindling trust in the courts.
“There is evidence all over. In fact, some of it gathered by civil society people that the confidence of Ghanaians in our judicial system has waned so badly. Is that not the case? I’m sure you have read some of the reports”.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
Mr. Nketiah contrasted the NDC’s position with that of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), accusing the party of double standards.
“NPP is a different story altogether. When they are in power, they are the institutions they support, but when they are out of power, they are the same institutions; they withdraw their support”.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
He recalled the disputes over the Electoral Commission, noting that while the NDC had long raised concerns, the NPP only admitted problems once out of office.
On the Chief Justice’s public complaint that the process against her was flawed and improper, the NDC Chairman argued that it was not her place to make such claims.
“It doesn’t lie in her mouth to say that. If that is how the judiciary has been functioning under her leadership, and nothing has been changed so far at the judiciary, what has changed since we came to power?”
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
He further stressed that the same procedures the judiciary had used for years were now being applied to her, and she must submit to them.
Reacting to reports that the Chief Justice found the venue of her hearings traumatic, Mr. Nketiah dismissed the concerns as outside the scope of constitutional rights.
“I don’t know where in our constitution a right is granted to an accused person to choose a court building. Not the court, the building where the court is sitting. I haven’t seen that right in our constitution yet”.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
He noted that the Chief Justice, like any other citizen, had the option to challenge the process in court, which she had already done.
Insistence on Due Process
Addressing whether the NDC as a party supports her removal, Mr. Nketiah refrained from giving a definitive answer, insisting the process must be allowed to run its course.
“We have not sat anywhere to take a decision that this is what NDC is going to do to the judiciary. But we said that we will reset state institutions which are not functioning according to the way they should function in a democracy”.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
Pressed further on whether he personally agreed with the petitioners calling for the Chief Justice’s removal, he reiterated that the matter was in the hands of the constitutional process.
“That is the opinion of the people who petitioned. But whether I agree or not, the process is unfolding. So let us see where it takes us. Whether it will lead to improvement of the judiciary or further retrogression of the judiciary”.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
For Mr. Nketiah, the unfolding events should not be viewed as partisan politics but as part of Ghana’s constitutional mechanism for accountability.
He maintained that while change can sometimes lead to regression, it can also open the door for improvement, and therefore, the public must allow the process to determine its own outcome.
