Former Sekondi MP Andrew Egyapa Mercer has lashed out at what he sees as hypocrisy from NPP critics who once decried the removal of Charlotte Osei but now support the controversial suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, May 5, the lawyer questioned the moral consistency of those defending the current action against the head of the judiciary while having opposed similar moves in the past.
“You hear our friends saying, ‘Oh, after all, you did it to Charlotte Osei.’ In any event, you and I know the circumstances that led to Charlotte Osei’s removal—the infighting within their own circles at the Electoral Commission,” he argued.
He insisted that those who had cried foul over Osei’s ouster under the NPP government lack credibility in defending what he believes is an equally—or even more—troubling move against the Chief Justice.
“Those who said her removal was wrongful—how do they justify the removal of the Chief Justice at this point? Where is the principle?” he asked.
Egyapa Mercer described the debate as a “chicken and egg” situation, suggesting that political convenience often guides positions on constitutional matters more than any consistent values.
“If it suits you, then it’s fine,” he said. “But I’m saying that the people who complained and promised to reset Ghana—Ghanaians expected better from them.”
According to him, it is unacceptable for the same critics who attacked the NPP’s handling of Charlotte Osei’s exit to now justify a move that raises similar, if not greater, concerns about political interference in independent institutions.
“Assuming that they believed the process Charlotte Osei was taken through was unfair, improper, and wrongful, you would expect that when they get the opportunity to govern, they wouldn’t go down the same pathway,” he said.
“But if they do, and your only defence is, ‘Oh well, the NPP did it’—then where are we headed as a country?” he questioned.
The NPP and several other political parties on Monday staged a protest in Accra over the suspension of Chief Justice Torkornoo, calling the move an attack on judicial independence.
Critics, however, have accused the NPP of hypocrisy and of trying to score political points.
But for Egyapa Mercer, the true test of leadership is consistency in principle, not convenience in opposition and silence in power.
“If there’s a path we want to go down as a country, then let’s go. But let’s be honest about it,” he concluded.
