Minority slams Mahama’s removal of Chief Justice, describes it as a ‘Judicial Coup’

The Minority in Parliament has strongly condemned President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from office, describing the move as a politically motivated assault on Ghana’s judiciary.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, signed by John Darko, MP for Suame Constituency and Legal Counsel to the Minority Caucus, the caucus expressed shock at the president’s action, which followed the recommendation of a committee set up under Article 146 of the Constitution to investigate petitions against the Chief Justice.

According to the Minority, the removal represents a judicial coup clothed in flawed constitutional procedures and sets a dangerous precedent for Ghana’s democracy.

“This flagrant assault on the Judiciary by the head of the Executive branch of the government brings into sharp focus the destruction of the state institutions by this administration,” the statement said.

The group likened Ghana’s situation to countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, where chief justices have been removed under controversial circumstances. It further alleged that the removal of Justice Torkornoo was part of a broader plan by the governing NDC to weaken state institutions and consolidate executive power.

“The removal of the CJ has nothing to do with legal constitutional process; it has everything to do with politics and the president’s inordinate desire to control all the levers of government,” the statement added.

The Minority has therefore called on traditional leaders, the clergy, the media, and all well-meaning Ghanaians to condemn the president’s action “in no uncertain terms.”