President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has criticized former President John Dramani Mahama’s recent attack on the judiciary.
Mr Mahama addressing a National Democratic Congress (NDC) annual lawyers conference on September 2, 2023, said President Akufo-Addo has appointed the highest number of judges in Ghana.
He said the court has been packed with NPP-inclined judges, “He has appointed the biggest number of judges onto the bench, it is more than 80 towards 100 and counting. He has packed the court and we know they have packed the court because they want to avoid accountability after they have left office.”
Mr. Mahama, therefore, urged the NDC lawyers to ready themselves for similar appointments when he ascends the presidency again.
At the 23rd Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Conference in Cape Coast today [Sept 10] President Akufo-Addo reacted to Mr Mahama’s comment and said the attack is “extremely dangerous” to the independence of the judiciary.
“I have gone into this matter in detail because of a new issue which has been introduced into our public discourse by no less a public figure than the fourth president of the fourth republic, John Dramani Mahama, who has told the world that I have packed the courts with so-called
NPP judges and that one of the key purposes of a putative NDC victory in 2024 will be to enable him to balance the courts with so-called NDC judges.”
“Not only are these concepts new in our public discourse but they are also extremely dangerous and represent the brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by allegedly responsible politicians,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo therefore urged the public to hold Mr. Mahama accountable for his “reckless” comments that are aimed at undermining the Judiciary.
He said the importance of respecting the integrity and impartiality of the judicial system, which plays a crucial role in upholding the rule of law in the country must not be underestimated.
