Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, has slammed the Supreme Court’s injunction against the Speaker of Parliament’s ruling to declare four seats vacant, describing it as democratic tyranny.
The judiciary’s actions, he said, are part of a pattern of the ‘democratic tyranny’ being perpetuated under the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
Speaking on TV3’s Saturday analytical morning show, The Key Points on Saturday, October 19, Suhuyini expressed misgivings about a growing alliance between the judiciary and the executive branch, stressing how cases involving the government receive swift attention, while those filed by others remain stalled in court.
He accused the judiciary of undermining the separation of powers and supporting the executive to the detriment of Ghana’s democracy.
He likened the current state of governance under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to authoritarian regimes of the past.
“We’ve been talking about democratic tyranny, especially since Nana Akufo-Addo’s government assumed power.”
“What the Supreme Court is doing signals the completion of that democratic tyranny. We have seen countless abuses by the executive throughout this administration,” he charged.
The Tamale North MP also pointed to several cases filed by minority MPs that have been stuck in the courts for years, including the ratification of mining leases and the E-Levy case, while cases in which the executive is interested are expedited.
He questioned the role of the judiciary and stressed the actions of Justices of the apex court have begun to resemble those of an arm of the executive.
“People say we should not think that the judiciary is beginning to act like an extension of the executive, but when it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you cannot convince a layman otherwise,” he added.
Suhuyini criticized the Chief Justice, cautioning her against becoming politically aligned with the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“I’ve heard some refer to the Chief Justice as the shadow women’s organizer of the New Patriotic Party. She must be careful that name doesn’t stick,” he warned.
The Tamale North MP underscored the importance of upholding the 1992 Constitution and ensuring that no arm of government is allowed to abuse its power.
“We all draw our powers from the Constitution, and no group of people will be allowed to bastardize it. We are all enjoined to defend it at every step,” he declared.