South Dayi MP and Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has launched a scathing attack on the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), accusing its leadership of partisanship and deliberate bias against President John Dramani Mahama and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
His remarks followed the release of the official speakers’ list for the Association’s 2025 Annual Conference, which conspicuously omitted the sitting President.
The published lineup features the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the National President of the GBA, and other guest speakers including the President of the Bar Council for England and Wales.
For Dafeamekpor, this marks a sharp departure from tradition. He recalled that between 2017 and 2024, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was consistently invited as Special Guest of Honour, making his absence this year both unusual and politically charged.
The MP further questioned the rationale behind inviting the President of the Bar Council of England and Wales, a body which, according to him, had recently launched unwarranted criticism against Ghana’s government. He suggested that the GBA’s choice of foreign speakers over its own Head of State undermines the dignity of the presidency and sends the wrong message about Ghana’s institutional independence.
Dafeamekpor hinted that such moves reflect a broader attempt by the Association to delegitimize the Mahama-led government while giving oxygen to the opposition. He noted that the GBA’s posture over the years has often aligned with political narratives pushed by rival parties, which, in his view, compromises its credibility as a professional body.
He went further to challenge the Association’s leadership to demonstrate fairness by including diverse perspectives rather than taking steps that appear to exclude the ruling government.
According to him, this is not just about the absence of the President at a legal conference but about a pattern of conduct that risks eroding public trust in one of the country’s most respected professional organizations.
Concluding his remarks in a sharp political tone, Dafeamekpor declared: “Your unalloyed bias against JDM and the NDC Government is too glaring to be ignored now. You can continue to act as a wing of the main opposition party to do its bidding, we are ready for you.”
His comments have reignited debate about the neutrality of civil society and professional organizations in Ghana’s polarised political landscape.
