Justice Sophia Akuffo
President Akufo-Addo has settled on Justice Sophia A.B. Akuffo as the next Chief Justice. She takes over from Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, a choice which continues a record of firsts – the first being the assumption of the position by the outgoing Chief Justice when she was picked by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
Ms Georgina Wood is the first female Chief Justice to hand over to a female Supreme Court judge.
The choice makes good the prediction of DAILY GUIDE yesterday that Justice Sophia Akuffo would win the day, in spite of the heightened jostling for the topmost judicial position.
Justice Akuffo slipped past all other contenders for the chief justice position, with some of the judges allegedly hiring publicists to hype their profile, and some of them whipping tribal sentiments.
She holds an LLB in Law from the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra and an LLM Master degree in Law from Harvard Law School, Cambridge Massachusetts, USA.
Even before exhausting the requirements prior to the eventual swearing-in of the next Chief Justice, the president, DAILY GUIDE can confirm, would present the new CJ to the nation today, barring unforeseen alterations in arrangements.
President Akufo-Addo would present the name of the next Chief Justice to the Council of State for advice – a constitutional requirement prior to moving to the next stage, which is parliamentary vetting and approval before the swearing-in function.
This notch was preceded by media manouvres and analysis, one of which presented Justice Sophia as a grey horse who could spring a surprise. By this development, Justice Sophia Akuffo has really sprung a surprise, having beaten Justice Jones Victor Dotse and Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah to it.
In their analysis, commentators had alluded to regionalism and ethnocentrism – both of which do not have a place in judicial convention and precedence.
Indeed, it has been established that there has been an instance when the president and the chief justice hailed from the same region.
The choice of a chief justice by the President and Commander-In-Chief is guided by the choice’s seniority at the bench, appreciation of the law and competence, all other considerations only secondary and of no major importance.
President Akufo-Add, being a lawyer of long standing – his law practice boasting of an outstanding pedigree from which hordes of new lawyers, including the incoming chief justice received their critical tutelage – understands more than many others what to look for in a chief justice.
Another first is the fact that this is the first time that a president is picking a chief justice who passed through his tutelage at the bar.
Justice Sophia Akuffo is touted as a disciplined personality whose stint with the African Court of Human Rights stands her apart from others.
For those who tipped Justice William Atuguba – the most senior – their positions fell short of the realities. He is close to retiring with less than a year to go.
President Akufo-Addo, DAILY GUIDE has learnt, would want to obviate the inconveniences of seeking a replacement for a person who would hold the position for barely a year, the procedures being too cumbersome for comfort and convenience.
Justices Atuguba and Sophia Akuffo have one professional feature in common – they were both picked from the bar for the bench appointments and sworn in on the same day as justices of the Supreme Court. Both were appointed by former President Jerry John Rawlings in May 1997.
By A.R. Gomda