OsahenYells: Judiciary Is Being Intimidated! …As Coalition Of Political Parties Bare Teeth At Mahama

A coalition of opposition political parties have expressed their misgivings about the brouhaha surrounding the judiciary, in a protest dubbed ‘Save The Judiciary.’

Hitting the streets of Accra on Monday, May 5, 2025 the group assured the judiciary that they were with them, stating in an address that “you [judiciary] will never walk alone,” even though they are being intimidated.

The Mahama administration is 119 days in office today, but has already suffered at least two demonstrations.One was about fighting galamsey, where protesters demanded from the government to walk the talk by declaring a state of emergency, a promise President Mahama made during the 2024 campaign.

The coalition, led by the New Patriotic Party said Ghanaians were protesting against what they believed to be an unconstitutional suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, among others.

According to the protesters, they were expressing their displeasure about the seeming conspiracy to control the judiciary, which is an independent arm of government.

Regardless of pockets of misunderstandings between the Ghana Police and the demonstrators, particularly involving the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, petitions were presented to the Judiciary,Parliament and Jubilee House, where the march ended.

PARLIAMENT

The Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, presenting the group’s petition to Parliament, made a call on the legislature and its members to eschew politics to help protect the democratic institutions of Ghana.

He made the call through the Clerk of Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, who received the petition that advocated immediate parliamentary intervention and public transparency about the suspension.

He said, “Ghana is under siege. This is a call to all of us, regardless of political affiliation, to defend the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. We cannot allow institutions of state to be undermined under the guise of accountability. Parliament must act as the last line of defence for our democracy,” he added.

JUBILEE HOUSE

At the seat of government, Jubilee House, Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stanislav Xoese Dogbe, received the petition on behalf of the president.

He said, “I can assure you and the people of Ghana that we appreciate the fact that just as the government ensured you went about your demonstration peacefully, there was another one last weekend that also took place without any attempt to prevent people from expressing themselves.”

ADDRESS

MrAfenyo-Markin addressed the crowd of protesters where he read the petition to them. According to him, the action of President Mahama amounted to “an attack on the very soul of Ghana’s democracy”.

“We are here not as party activists, but as concerned citizens empowered by the Constitution to protest blatant executive interference and intimidation of the judiciary,” he stated.

The coalition expressed grave concern over what they termed flimsy and politically motivated allegations against the Chief Justice, warning that such actions jeopardise the integrity of the entire judicial system.

“Today it is Gertrude Torkornoo; tomorrow it could be any of you,” Afenyo-Markin cautioned, urging all Ghanaians to stand in defence of judicial independence.

He accused the Mahama-led government of undermining judicial processes by appointing seven new Supreme Court judges without proper consultation or adherence to constitutional protocols.

“The same government that complained about judicial bloat has now stacked the court. The usual process – consultation with the Judicial Council, vetting by the Council of State and parliamentary approval – has been sidestepped,” he claimed.

Afenyo-Markin further urged members of the bench to consider bold steps as a show of resistance against executive overreach.

BACKGROUND

President Mahama has commenced processes to determine the dismissal or continued stay in office of the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, who has since been suspended, after the Council of State said it had determined a prima facie case against her, following the submission and consideration of three separate petitions.

A committee has been formed to investigate several petitions seeking her removal. Jubilee House has told the public that the process was in line with Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution.

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