A Deputy National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kamal-Deen Abdulai, has called for constitutional reforms to strip the President of the power to appoint and remove Chief Justices, warning that the current practice undermines judicial independence.
His remarks follow growing legal and public debate over the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who is challenging her dismissal by President John Dramani Mahama at the High Court.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, September 18, 2025, Mr. Kamal-Deen described the removal of a Chief Justice by a sitting president as “a blot on Ghana’s democracy.
“I think that the removal of the Chief Justice is a blot on our democracy, especially when, after doing it, we are now contemplating coming out with laws from Parliament that will give us a clear procedure,” he said.
He criticised the current framework under Article 146 of the Constitution, which gives the Presidency authority over the appointment and removal of Chief Justices, cautioning that political expediency has been allowed to override constitutional integrity.
“If at the end of the day, we come out with certain actions or decisions which are supposed to be guided by Article 296, and we do not pay heed to some of the provisions, but for the sake of political expediency only to come back and say that we think the Constitution has to be looked at, then clearly there’s a problem,” he noted.
Mr. Kamal-Deen therefore proposed a comprehensive amendment of Article 146 to take away the President’s direct control over such matters.
“There should be a process that insulates the judiciary from political interference. The President should not have that power,” he emphasised.
Source: citinewsroom.com
