The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the immediate resignation of the Chief Justice over a video in which it alleges he made partisan political comments.

The party accused the head of Ghana’s Judiciary of descending from the Bench into partisan politics and questioned his ability to preside impartially over cases involving the government.

The Chief Justice, during a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2, praised the performance of MIIF and other state institutions.

He said some of the developments he had witnessed had left him wondering what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.

Chief Justice

“I must congratulate you. I mean, you have done marvellously well. See, because sometimes when we hear the things that you have done, the things that some organisations are doing now, we wonder; some of us keep wondering what really we have been doing in the past eight years,” Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said.

He made the comments after visiting the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), where he said he had also been impressed by what he was told about the institution’s performance.

Comparing the situation to previous plans to dispose of some SSNIT assets, including Labadi Beach Hotel, the Chief Justice said: “If you compare that to the fact that not too long ago, SSNIT was preparing to sell its prized assets like Labadi Beach Hotel, you wonder how Ghana could have sunk so low.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, September 3, 2026, the NPP said it had watched with “profound shock and disgust” a video circulating publicly in which the Chief Justice allegedly offered comparative political commentary suggesting that the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and its appointed CEOs were performing better than the previous NPP administration.

“This is not the language of a Chief Justice. It is the language of a party propagandist, of a kind exclusively reserved for NDC communicators and serial callers, and it has no place whatsoever in the mouth of the head of Ghana’s Judiciary,” the party stated.

The NPP said such comments were inconsistent with the constitutional independence of the Judiciary.

The party cited Articles 125 and 127 of the 1992 Constitution, which establish the Judiciary as an independent arm of government and provide safeguards against external control or direction.

It also invoked the judicial oath, which requires the Chief Justice to administer justice without fear, favour, affection or ill will.

The NPP argued that the video was not an isolated incident but what it described as the culmination of a pattern of conduct.

It alleged that the Chief Justice had increasingly appeared at functions involving political appointees of the current government.

According to the party, this raised concerns about the perception of judicial neutrality, particularly in cases involving the Executive.

The NPP said a Chief Justice who publicly associates himself with the Executive and makes political comparisons could undermine public confidence in his ability to serve as an impartial arbiter.

“He has presented himself not as the impartial head of an independent Judiciary but as a leading member of the National Democratic Congress in judicial robes,” the party stated.

It added:

“If political commentary is his true vocation, he should resign forthwith and formally take up membership of the NDC, where such contributions are handsomely rewarded.”

The party also took issue with what it described as the Chief Justice’s vow that “everything must be done to ensure that the agenda of the President succeeds.”

The party questioned the implications of such a statement for cases involving NPP members and other persons being prosecuted under the government’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative.

It argued that the President’s declared agenda includes ORAL, while persons associated with the NPP are appearing before the courts over matters connected to the initiative.

“When the head of the Judiciary pledges his exertions to the success of the Executive’s agenda, what conclusion is an accused person standing in the dock, or indeed any citizen, to draw?” the NPP asked.

The party maintained that the Chief Justice’s primary loyalty must be to the Constitution and not to any president, political party or government agenda.

“The day he does otherwise, he ceases to be a judge and becomes an instrument of the very power he was appointed to check,” it stated.

The NPP also alleged that the Judiciary had demonstrated what it described as “extraordinary alacrity” in handling certain cases involving its members.

It cited the incarceration of NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, as an example of what it characterised as selective justice.

The party alleged that cases involving opponents of the government were being handled with unusual speed while cases involving government allies proceeded more slowly.

These claims have not been independently established, and the Chief Justice and Judicial Service have yet to respond to the allegations.

The NPP further alleged that the Chief Justice’s conduct had heightened concerns about coordination between the Judiciary and the Presidency.

The party also accused the Chief Justice of failing to adequately address deteriorating infrastructure across the Judiciary.

It alleged that several courts and judicial offices were in poor condition, with some courtrooms and registries facing significant challenges.

According to the NPP, the Chief Justice had not done enough to draw attention to the condition of those facilities or advocate for their refurbishment.

The party contrasted this with what it described as his increasing involvement in activities involving state agencies under the Executive.

“With respect, My Lord, the leaking roofs are in your courts, not in the ministries,” the statement added.

The NPP is demanding that the Chief Justice immediately and unreservedly retract what it described as his partisan commentary and pledge of loyalty to the President’s agenda.

Failing that, the party said he should resign and formally join the NDC.

The party has also called on President John Dramani Mahama to fill the vacant Council of State position and publicly disavow any arrangement concerning the Chief Justice’s post-retirement future.

The NPP said it would subsequently organise a major press conference to present what it described as the “full record” of the Chief Justice’s conduct.

The party insisted that the Judiciary belongs to the people of Ghana and must remain independent of political control.

The statement was signed by NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong.

The Chief Justice has yet to publicly respond to the allegations, while the Judicial Service has yet to issue a response.Source: Myjoyonline