The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has expressed disapproval of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s use of their conference platform to engage in political campaigning against former President John Mahama.
Saviour Kudze, the Public Relations Officer of the GBA, condemned the President’s actions, deeming them regrettable while speaking on Citi News.
He stated, “What the president said today is rather unfortunate, and we condemn it. The aspect we condemn has to do with his appeal to Ghanaians, essentially campaigning against Mahama, just because he made a comment that President Akufo-Addo has allegedly appointed NPP-aligned judges to the court, as described by President Mahama.”
Kudze continued, “Also, bringing up the issue of the investigations allegedly linking former President Mahama to the Airbus scandal. Our platform is not supposed to be used for such purposes, and we condemn that aspect of President Akufo-Addo’s comments. We will not permit anyone to exploit our platform for political campaigning, whether in favour of or against any political opponent.”
The GBA, however, said it would not issue an apology to Mahama, as it had similarly condemned him in the past for similar actions.
Earlier on Monday, Akufo-Addo had strongly criticized Mahama for his recent remarks, in which he alleged that the judiciary had been influenced by judges aligned with the ruling NPP party. Akufo-Addo characterized Mahama’s comments as “very dangerous” and a “blatant attack on the judiciary’s independence.”
While the GBA acknowledged its shared concerns about the independence of the judiciary, it disagreed with the President’s approach. The association emphasized, “The GBA believes that the most effective way to safeguard the judiciary’s independence is by ensuring that all politicians, regardless of their party affiliation, uphold the rule of law and respect the separation of powers.”
The GBA also called upon all politicians to refrain from making political statements during its conferences and urged them to honour the neutrality of the legal profession.