NDC rejects NPP’s call for Chief Justice’s resignation
Godfred Apolala says the NPP should rely on the judiciary’s code of conduct and appropriate legal processes if it believes the Chief Justice’s comments were inappropriate.
FA member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Navrongo Central Constituency, Godfred Apolala, has rejected calls by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to retract comments described by the party as partisan or resign from office.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Monday, September 7, Apolala argued that rather than demanding the Chief Justice’s resignation, the NPP should have referred to the judiciary’s code of conduct and called on him to refrain from making comments it considers inappropriate.
He said previous Chief Justices, including Sophia Akuffo and Gertrude Torkornoo, had made positive comments about governments without facing similar demands for resignation.
According to Apolala, the Chief Justice’s comments do not amount to an endorsement of the NDC or its political activities.
He questioned whether the Chief Justice had openly endorsed the NDC, attended its rallies, campaigned for the party or appeared in its campaign materials.
He also defended the Chief Justice’s participation in social functions such as weddings and funerals, arguing that attending such events does not automatically make a judicial officer partisan.
Apolala said the Chief Justice’s call for Ghanaians to support the government to succeed should be understood as an appeal to support initiatives that benefit the country, rather than an endorsement of the NDC.
“Succeed means whatever good thing that he is doing for this country, let’s help him to succeed,” he said.
The NDC communicator further defended the government’s performance, citing measures such as tax reductions, improvements in the economy, debt clearance and efforts to reclaim state lands.
He argued that when state institutions perform well and generate surpluses, such achievements should be acknowledged regardless of the political party in government.
Apolala maintained that if the Chief Justice had breached any constitutional or judicial requirement, the appropriate legal process should be followed rather than making political demands for his resignation.
He referenced Article 127 of the 1992 Constitution as part of the legal framework governing judicial independence and conduct.
Apolala therefore described the NPP’s demand as politically motivated and urged the party to allow the appropriate constitutional and legal processes to determine whether any wrongdoing had occurred.
Mike 105.3FM I Navrongo | Elizabeth Apusaama
