The Minority in Parliament has issued a blistering condemnation of the government, accusing President John Mahama of presiding over a regime that undermines democratic norms and uses state power to intimidate political opponents.
The NPP Caucus made this known during a demonstration on Monday, May 5, held in protest against the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo by President Mahama.
Presenting a petition to Parliament on behalf of the group, the Leader of the Caucus, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, claimed that President Mahama has “weaponised the security services”, deploying them in “retrogressive PNDC-style raids” targeting the homes of political adversaries.
He added, “Private citizens, including former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison, and former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, have had their properties seized, their rights violated, and their dignities stripped.”
The Minority Leader said these actions amounted to a deliberate erosion of democratic governance, warning that the nation was witnessing “tyranny clothed in the robes of democracy”.
Meanwhile, Mr Afenyo-Markin also condemned the petitions that triggered the processes leading to the Chief Justice’s suspension, calling them “flimsy” and “pedestrian”, and accused the Council of State of failing the country by entertaining the three letters that called for the Chief Justice to be axed.
“For the Chief Justice to be singled out for this unfortunate attack… the Council of State has failed the country. We want you as an institution to put aside your individual differences and know that it is your institution that is under attack. Maybe today it is Torkornoo; tomorrow it might be you,” he warned.
Mr Afenyo-Markin stressed that judicial officers must remain above partisan politics.
“You don’t serve at the whims and caprices of a political party and a government. If you wanted to be a politician, you would have been in a political party,” he said, adding that what is happening to Her Ladyship is “repugnant to good conscience.”
He also accused the government of hypocrisy, noting that it had previously criticised the expansion of the Supreme Court but had now appointed seven new judges under questionable circumstances.
“You know the process of appointing judges to the Supreme Court is not what has been used. So this reset is a negative reset,” he said, urging judicial staff not to be complacent.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further cautioned against political vengeance in the future.
“I also want to take this opportunity… to draw the attention of the nation to come to terms with the fact that there must be an end to bitterness. If this vicious cycle of ‘you did it to me; I will do it to you’ continues, there will be no further hope for our democracy,” he said.
He warned that such partisan actions could haunt current judicial staff in the future, especially with the possibility of a new government in 2028.
“I am humbly calling on all judicial service staff to think deeply about tomorrow. Don’t be too comfortable because today some government officials are promising you promotions, so you don’t want to speak out. We will speak up for the sake of posterity,” he said.
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