The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has strongly rejected claims by Government spokesperson and Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, that the association is aligned with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The comments come amid growing public debate over the GBA’s perceived silence regarding remarks made by Minority Leader and Effutu MP Alexander Afenyo-Markin against some members of the judiciary.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, May 18, the Public Relations Officer of the GBA, Saviour Kudze, described the accusation as “disappointing” and urged political actors to stop politicising the association whenever it speaks on national issues.
“That doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s rather disappointing that every time this matter keeps coming up,” Mr. Kudze said.
He argued that Ghana’s pressing national challenges deserved far more attention than repeated political accusations directed at professional bodies such as the GBA.
“It appears the many problems that Ghanaians are worried about — sanitation, galamsey — we don’t want to act on those ones. Anytime GBA speaks at certain times, he speaks for certain people, and he doesn’t speak for certain people,” he stated.
The controversy follows criticism from sections of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), who questioned why the Ghana Bar Association had not publicly condemned comments by Mr. Afenyo-Markin that were widely interpreted as disparaging towards certain judges.
Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu suggested in a Facebook post on Monday that the silence reinforced long-held perceptions that the GBA sympathises with the NPP — an allegation the association has repeatedly denied.
Responding to the claims, Mr. Kudze said reducing the GBA to partisan politics undermines the integrity of the legal profession and distracts from national development and the rule of law.
“How long can we continue to do this? It’s becoming a ritual. Can we move away from this?” he questioned.
He further stressed that political leaders who identify institutional challenges must focus on providing solutions rather than politicising public commentary.
“In any case, all those or most of those people saying these things are in leadership. If they have identified a problem, understanding of leadership is providing solutions to problems. What have they done about it?” he asked.
Mr. Kudze also emphasised that the Ghana Bar Association remains a unified professional body representing lawyers across the political divide.
“Because it is only one group of lawyers that we have. We are all lawyers belonging to one group. If there’s an issue, how do we deal with it?” he said.
He firmly dismissed suggestions that the association serves the interests of any political tradition, saying: “Every time, GBA is a wing of NPP. I don’t know that. To me, it is not true.”
Mr. Kudze stressed that while judges can be criticised, lawyers must use appropriate legal channels such as appeals rather than public statements that could be seen as insulting the bench.
GBA condemns Afenyo-Markin’s remarks
In the same interview, the Ghana Bar Association condemned the comments made by Mr. Afenyo-Markin, describing them as inappropriate and a threat to judicial independence.
Mr. Kudze said the association would not condone conduct that undermines judges or the integrity of the judiciary.
“We will never condone such conduct. Over the years, we have consistently cautioned and condemned similar behaviour by lawyers,” he stated.
“A senior lawyer who also holds a public position ought to have done better,” he added.
What Afenyo-Markin said
Mr. Afenyo-Markin had described aspects of the legal process as inconsistent with constitutional protections on bail and freedom of expression.
“What has been done to Abronye DC is a profound constitutional wrong, and must be condemned without equivocation, without delay.”
“The arrest itself, the prosecution and remand of a citizen for words spoken in the public domain is not justice; it is prosecution,” he said.
He further criticised the presiding judge, saying: “That Circuit Court 9 judge — I have no respect for him. I pray he summons me for contempt. I will continue to disrespect him until he upholds the law. It’s a shame on the judiciary; he doesn’t talk law.”
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