Alexander Afenyo-Markin
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has launched a blistering critique of the committee probing the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, describing its conduct as “a travesty of justice” and a serious blot on Ghana’s democracy.
Speaking at a leadership meeting with the Parliamentary Press Corps yesterday, Mr. Afenyo-Markin accused the Justice Pwamang Committee of procedural impropriety and bad faith, saying its actions had “reduced our democracy to something that cannot even be described.”
According to the Minority Leader, the committee prematurely concluded its work despite not completing hearings on all three petitions filed against Justice Torkornoo.
He said the committee initially directed the respondent and her lawyers to return on the 15th of the month for a second hearing, only for a report recommending her removal to surface “out of the blue” shortly afterward.
“The Pwamang Committee must be ashamed of itself. Within two hours of producing the report, a decision was taken to act on it. That is not justice; that is an abuse of process,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin charged.
He further alleged that the committee’s rushed decision-making, especially when the matter was already before both the High Court and the Supreme Court, reflected a disturbing disregard for due process.
“If the Supreme Court can move expeditiously to hear an injunction but fails to determine the substantive case, what message are we sending?” he queried.
The Minority Leader warned that such precedents risk eroding judicial independence and damaging the credibility of state institutions.
“We are setting a precedent that blots the beautiful democracy we otherwise have. Today it is Chief Justice Torkornoo; tomorrow it could be anyone else,” he said.
Citing historical examples, Mr. Afenyo-Markin recalled how Parliament once upheld fairness when concerns were raised during the nomination of then–Justice Pwamang to the Supreme Court.
He said even opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) at the time, including KT Hammond, resisted calls to block the process, emphasising the need for equity and restraint.
“What my Lord Pwamang has forgotten is that when he was nominated, some people petitioned Parliament to halt the process. Yet, Parliament chose fairness. Why can’t he do the same for his colleague now?” he quizzed pointedly.
The Minority Leader also cautioned that the political tit-for-tat culture, where one party justifies questionable actions by citing the other’s past misdeeds, was corroding the nation’s governance. “This ‘you-do-me-I-do-you’ politics is not sustainable. We can do better as a democracy,” he stressed.
Turning to related issues, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would soon raise preliminary constitutional objections to the committee’s recommendations and challenge the legality of the process in Parliament and the courts. “Whatever approach we take will be in the national interest,” he assured.
He also touched on other governance matters, including the state of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), national security in Bole and Bamboi, and stalled infrastructure projects under the government’s Agenda 111 initiative.
On ECG, the Minority Leader called for bipartisan cooperation to reform the utility company, arguing that inefficiencies and waste, not tariffs, were the real cause of financial strain.
“You cannot just burden Ghanaians with a 14% increase while the wastage remains. Let’s focus on reforms, even if it means limited private sector participation,” he proposed.
Addressing the recent conflict in the Savannah Region, he urged the Minister for the Interior to brief Parliament on government interventions following deadly clashes that left 31 people dead and displaced over 50,000 residents.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin, in his concluding remarks, called for a renewed spirit of fairness and accountability across institutions, warning that the “reset” of state institutions must be managed carefully to avoid undermining democracy.
“There is always a tomorrow. Let’s not destroy the foundations of justice today and expect stability tomorrow,” he stated.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House