Legal practitioner Tsatsu Tsikata has raised concerns over growing perceptions that Ghana’s judiciary may be leaning in favour of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), warning that such views could have serious repercussions for the country’s democratic system.
Mr Tsikata’s remarks come amid findings from the 2024 Mo Ibrahim Index on African Governance, which revealed a sharp decline in Ghana’s judicial autonomy.
According to the report, Ghana’s judicial independence has dropped from a full 100 percent to 50 percent over the last seven years, signalling a major shift in public confidence in the judiciary.
Speaking on Accra-based GHOne TV, Tsikata explained how such perceptions not only undermine public trust in the judiciary but also affect the reputation and credibility of the entire legal profession.
“If people lose confidence in the judiciary, it is also a loss of confidence in the legal profession,” he noted.
“The judiciary is made up of individuals who have risen through the ranks of the legal profession, and when confidence in the judiciary wanes, it directly impacts the entire process of adjudication, which is what lawyers practice in the court.”
Mr Tsikata went on to highlight how troubling he finds the public’s perception of judicial bias towards the ruling party, suggesting that it has become a recurring concern for many Ghanaians.
He noted that ordinary citizens often make light-hearted references to the judiciary as a “unanimous football club,” humorously implying that judges frequently rule in a way that appears to favour the NPP.
“Ordinary citizens jokingly refer to the judiciary as a ‘unanimous football club,’ deciding cases in favour of one side. This creates a dangerous precedent where people lose faith in the judicial process altogether.”
He cautioned that such perceptions, however lighthearted they may seem, are dangerous for the nation.
The legal expert underscored the long-term effects of this mistrust, warning that if unaddressed, it could erode confidence not just in individual judges but in the entire judicial system.
As Ghana approaches the 2024 general elections, Tsikata stressed the importance of a judiciary that upholds impartiality and stands above partisan influence, urging judicial leaders and policymakers to work towards restoring and safeguarding the institution’s independence.
The 2024 Mo Ibrahim report’s findings, coupled with these public perceptions, have sparked widespread discussion on the state of judicial autonomy in Ghana, with calls from various sectors for reforms to restore the judiciary’s credibility and ensure it functions as a fair and independent arm of government.
