May 5 demo is to protect Judicial independence, not CJ – NPP MP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame, John Darko, has said that the planned demonstration by some political parties on Monday, May 5, is not a show in defence for suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Torkonoo, but a protest against what the party views as a dangerous attack on judicial independence under the Mahama-led-administration.

His comments come in the lead-up to the NPP’s joint demonstration with four other political parties, all of whom have condemned the suspension of the Chief Justice as an unconstitutional act and a threat to the balance of power in the country’s democratic structure.

Darko stated emphatically that the demonstration was purely to defend the sanctity of the judiciary and not the individual involved.

“For me, what the NPP is doing on Monday, May 5, is a protest against the destruction of the independence of the judiciary. It is not in defence of Torkonoo,” said the MP on Channel One political talk show, the ‘Big Issue.’

President John Dramani Mahama, on Tuesday, April 22, suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkonoo after a prima facie case was established based on three separate petitions calling for her removal. The move was executed under Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution, following consultations with the Council of State.

The President’s action has been sharply criticised by opposition parties and several civil society voices, who argue that it undermines the independence of the judiciary and sets a dangerous precedent, with the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) seeking the revocation of the suspension. Enditem