John Darko, Legal Counsel for the Minority, has warned against attempts to remove the Chief Justice, arguing that such actions could set a dangerous precedent for Ghana’s constitutional democracy.
Speaking on the matter in an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Wednesday April 16, Darko emphasised the judiciary’s role as the last independent and sacrosanct institution in the country.
He expressed concern that initiating a process to remove the Chief Justice could lead to a slippery slope, where political parties in power might exploit petitions to target the judiciary for political gains.
“We believe that as a country the only institution left which is still independent, is still standing and sacrosanct is the judiciary. It is a worry that we are expressing that the moment that we begin this process it is a serious slope that we are getting our country into.
“It will be that every political party when it wins the election is going to get people write a petition for us to remove the Chief Justice,” Darko stated.
He highlighted Ghana’s stable history with the judiciary under the 1992 Constitution, citing examples of past presidents working with Chief Justices appointed by their predecessors.
“Kufour met CJ appointed by former president Rawlings. He appointed a CJ and when President John Evans Atta Mills came he worked with the CJ until the CJ went on retirement. This has been our practice as a country. Our CJs have always retired after they have finished their terms. We should allow that to continue,” he added.
Darko urged the nation to uphold this tradition to preserve the stability of Ghana’s constitutional democracy.
“We shouldn’t destabilise our constitutional democracy,” he emphasised.
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