Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Haruna Mohammed, has publicly challenged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe‑Bonnie over comments he made regarding the performance of state‑owned institutions under the current NDC administration and the preceding NPP government. In a video, the Chief Justice remarked, “Sometimes when we hear how well some state organisations are doing now, we wonder what we really have been doing in the past eight years.”
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, September 3, Mr Mohammed said the remarks “raise concerns about the neutrality of the judiciary and undermine public confidence in the independence of the Chief Justice’s office.” He added, “He spoke as a politician. He did not speak as a Chief Justice. He did not speak as an independent person. He spoke as a politician.”
Mr Mohammed argued that the Chief Justice’s duty is to uphold judicial independence, not to promote or defend the achievements of any government. He also questioned the Chief Justice’s engagements with state institutions and government officials, stating that such activities blur the line between the judiciary and the executive. “The NPP is saying he should either come out to apologise and retract, or resign and become a pure communicator of the NDC,” he said.
He warned that allowing the issue to go unaddressed could erode public confidence in the judiciary and stressed the need to protect the independence and credibility of state institutions. The Chief Justice has yet to respond to the accusations.
Observers note that the debate highlights ongoing tensions between Ghana’s political parties and the judiciary, with implications for the perception of judicial impartiality in the coming months.
