The New Patriotic Party (NPP) together with some political parties will stage a demonstration today, Monday, May 5 against Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo by President John Dramani Mahama.
The NPP will be walking through the principal streets of Accra together with the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), National Democratic Party (NDP), People’s National Party (PNP), Ghana Union Movement (GUM), among others.
According to the NPP, the National Democratic Congress’s attempt to remove the Chief Justice is calculated and dangerous interference in the judiciary.
According to the NPP, they have together with the other parties notified the Ghana Police Service of their planned demo.
Speaking to JoyNews, NPP Director of Communications Richard Ahiagba stated, “All of us are united, the five political parties are united in leading this demonstration. The indications we are getting are that other political parties are warming up to join. In the coming days, you will see that the number of parties supporting this will increase.
“This is a call for all Ghanaians to come out and demonstrate against the President’s move to remove the Chief Justice, which we find to be against the constitution, egregious, and a political attempt to subjugate the judiciary,” he said.
He added, “We went to the registry, we submitted our notice for the demonstration on the 5th. Our request is for the police to provide security, and we have every intention to make it a peaceful demonstration. Their role is to support us and ensure that the demonstration goes on peacefully, without any disruption to public order.”
“Ultimately, we see this as an effort aimed at destroying our democracy, and we will not stand for it.”
The NPP’s planned demo comes on the back of President John Dramani Mahama suspending Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo following a prima facie case being determined against her by the Council of State.
The President consequently, established a committee in compliance with Article 146(6) of the Constitution and in consultation with the Council of State with the following composition to inquire into the petitions which have been referred to them.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has ordered President John Dramani Mahama to immediately revoke the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
According to the Ghana Bar Association, the suspension of the Chief Justice is unconstitutional and lacks a legal basis under Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
