Physician and politician Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy has weighed in on the criticism of President John Mahama regarding his recommendation to nominate seven Court of Appeal justices to the Supreme Court.
Dr. Kennedy questioned why President Mahama, who previously opposed a similar action by his predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo, would now choose to do the same.
On April 29, 2025, President Mahama recommended the nomination of seven justices to be considered by the Judicial Council and subsequently by Parliament for approval.
The nominees are Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, Justice Gbiel Simon Suurbaareh, Justice Senyo Dzamefe, Justice Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, Justice Philip Bright Mensah, Justice Janapare Bartels-Kodwo, and Justice Hafisata Amaleboba.
The move has drawn widespread criticism, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) describing it as a veiled attempt to pursue a third-term agenda.
In an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Dr. Kennedy stressed his disagreement with Mahama’s decision, describing it as hypocritical.
“This is why people do not take politicians seriously. Mahama criticised Akufo-Addo for packing the court—and it was true—but a lot of NPP members defended the decision.
“So people will rightly ask: why is Mahama repeating something he criticised? And why is the NPP now opposing it? When the NPP does it, it’s not right; when the NDC does it, it’s the same. There are hypocrites on both sides,” he stated.
Dr. Kennedy also questioned the rationale behind maintaining almost 22 Supreme Court judges in a country of over 30 million people facing an economic crisis.
“We’ll have to pay them salaries, they’ll go on vacation, and they’ll have other expenses. It simply doesn’t match our resources,” he added.
Listen to Dr. Arthur Kennedy in the audio above:
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