In a bold declaration of intent, Mustapha Gbande, Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, has signaled the John Dramani Mahama-led administration’s resolve to overhaul what it sees as a compromised judiciary and Electoral Commission.
According to Mustapha Gbande, this move is critical to ensuring that Ghana’s fight against corruption is not derailed by political interference in the country’s democratic and legal institutions.
Speaking on 3FM’s Midday News on Friday, April 18, Gbande alleged that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo strategically packed the judiciary with loyal judges to protect officials of his New Patriotic Party (NPP) from prosecution.
He insisted that these appointments were calculated to guarantee favourable rulings for NPP affiliates facing alleged corruption charges, thereby undermining the judicial process.
“We cannot call for accountability and expect justice from a judiciary that has been politically captured,” Gbande said.
“President Akufo-Addo kept and packed the judiciary so that all the appointees who will be taken to court will escape.”
Gbande emphasized that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration would not hesitate to cleanse the system.
He stated unequivocally that Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, Electoral Commission Chairperson Jean Mensa, and other “politically exposed” officials must be replaced.
“The Chief Justice will have to go, the EC chairperson and other politically exposed directors will have to go — and indeed they will go. It is just a matter of time,” Gbande declared.
He referenced the removal of former EC Chair Charlotte Osei by President Akufo-Addo as precedent, asserting that the same legal provisions allow the current administration to take similar action.
“We haven’t amended our laws. The same law gave President Akufo-Addo the right to remove Charlotte Osei; they are all independent institutions, but he removed her.”
This political tension comes amid a formal process initiated by President John Dramani Mahama to assess the conduct of the Chief Justice.
On March 25, 2025, the Communications Directorate at the Presidency confirmed that three petitions had been submitted to the Council of State, calling for the removal of Justice Torkornoo.
The petitions, filed by various citizens, allege misconduct and political bias.
Per Article 146 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, the President has referred the petitions to the Council of State for consultation, marking the initial step in the constitutional process required for removing a sitting Chief Justice.
Meanwhile, the matter has escalated to the courts.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for May 6 to deliberate on injunction applications filed against the petition process.
The hearing was delayed due to the absence of one panel member, Justice Samuel Asiedu, leaving only four justices, led by Justice Mensa Bonsu, to sit on the case.
Former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, representing Old Tafo MP, Vincent Ekow Assafuah in one of the suits, has argued that President Mahama should halt the consultation process while the injunction application is pending.
However, Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine countered this, asserting that constitutional duties such as this cannot be obstructed by court processes.
“The law is very clear that you cannot enjoin the performance of a constitutional or public obligation,” Ayine stated.
The escalating standoff highlights deepening tensions between the two dominant political parties — the NDC and NPP — as they battle for control over state institutions, ahead of Ghana’s next general elections.
The judiciary and Electoral Commission, both constitutionally independent bodies, are now at the heart of an increasingly polarized political environment.
With the NDC framing the removal of top officials as a cleanup necessary for accountability and democratic renewal, and the NPP viewing it as a political purge, Ghana’s institutional independence is being tested.
–BY Daniel Bampoe
