Gertrude Araba Essaba Torkornoo, Chief Justice
By Akyeampong Duodu
The debate over whether or not the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, should be removed from office has intensified with the release of a research report by Mr. Mussa K. Dankwah, Executive Director and Head of Global Research at Global InfoAnalytics. According to the report, 52% of Ghanaians support the removal of the CJ.
However, the research appears to have been deliberately conducted to promote the agenda of ousting the CJ. For instance, the part of the report claiming that the academic community also supports the suspension of the CJ seems to suggest that the researcher wants to paint a picture of informed respondents. Nevertheless, this cannot be the case because matters of law are best understood by lawyers or legal experts, not just any educated individual.
Credibility
No one doubts the credibility of Mussa Dankwah in conducting credible research, and I won’t be the first to contest his findings. Nonetheless, it seems this research was conducted at the wrong time and in a wrong social environment. Before the President initiated the removal of the CJ, a section of Ghanaians had already demonized the CJ and her team of justices, thereby causing Ghanaians to form a negative public opinion about them.
The demonization of the judges started with the 2020 election petition when the verdict did not go in favor of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The public witnessed how their chief witnesses, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia and Dr. Kpesah Whyte, failed to prove their case as they turned the courtroom into a circus. Despite this, President John Dramani Mahama still had the audacity to impugn the names of the justices who sat on the case when he derogatively referred to them as “Unanimous FC.”
Verbal war
Since then, NDC members have waged a verbal war against the CJ and judges of the superior courts. With the help of some unethical media houses and journalists, NDC members, including lawyers among them, have continued to attack the integrity of the justices, making them appear like demons before the ordinary Ghanaian. A typical example of these NDC folks is Mr. Samuel Nartey George, the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations.
Mr. Nartey George, a member of the John Dramani Mahama-led cabinet, could not validate his claims against the CJ, which informed his use of unprintable words against her when he appeared before Parliament’s Appointment Committee to be vetted. Despite this, he refused to apologize or withdraw his false claims against the CJ.
Eyebrows
It therefore raises eyebrows that Mr. Mussa Dankwa could ignore these factors and still went on to seek the opinion of the layman on the suspension of the CJ. With all due respect to the renowned researcher, it will be difficult for any rational Ghanaian to respect or accept this research because it is influenced by a certain public opinion that is sentimentally charged.
Law is grounded on logic and facts. Moreover, the removal of a CJ from office is purely a constitutional issue. It is, therefore, wrong to consult emotionally charged citizens on such a matter when lawyers are available. Considering the timing of this research report, it will not be wrong to suggest that it was deliberately conducted to influence the suspension of the CJ.
The author is a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Awutu Senya West Constituency.
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