President John Dramani Mahama has officially removed Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo from office, acting on the recommendations of a constitutional committee that found her guilty of stated misbehaviour.
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo sacked
The announcement, made on September 1 by Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has sparked widespread debates across Ghana and beyond.
The committee’s findings cited several infractions, including the misuse of public funds for personal travel and questionable administrative decisions that breached constitutional provisions.
Following this development, numerous reactions have emerged from both major political parties, as well as influential voices within the Ghanaian society.
This script will list the number of notable persons who have reacted to the news so far.
Kwaku Ansa-Asare
Kwaku Ansa-Asare, a former Director of the Ghana School of Law, has justified the removal of the Chief Justice.
According to him, the move demonstrates the robustness of Ghana’s democratic and constitutional systems.
Speaking on The Pulse on JoyNews, Ansa-Asare maintained that rather than expressing dismay, Ghanaians should take pride in the fact that constitutional processes are being upheld.
“If you allege that your constitutional rights are being violated, and you yourself as the head of the judiciary do not understand the ramifications of the Chief Justice removal process, you shoot yourself wrongly in the foot,” Ansa-Asare asserted.
He continued, “I don’t think that we should be sad about this; we should rather be happy. We should be happy that the constitution is working. This is a democracy.”
However, Ansa-Asare stressed that any presidential action must be judged solely by its adherence to the constitution.
“If the president has to act, every step the president takes, he must act in accordance with the constitution.
“So far, I have yet to be convinced that the president has contravened the constitutional process. No one has been able to pinpoint exactly where President Mahama has gotten it wrong,” he added.
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Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah
The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has also weighed in on the matter, accusing and criticising the judiciary for failing to protect the Chief Justice during the process that led to her removal from office.
He expressed disappointment that all the applications she filed at the Human Rights Court were dismissed under what he described as “bizarre circumstances,” with the justification that the court lacked jurisdiction.
Baffour Awuah argued that the situation amounted to a sacrilegious attempt to oust the Chief Justice, stressing that the move was pre-determined and deliberately executed.
Speaking on Ekosii Sen on Asempa 94.7 FM on Monday, September 1, 2025, the MP alleged that the plan to remove Justice Torkornoo was not a recent development, but a long-standing agenda conceived by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama.
“The courts should have stood by her and defended her rights. Instead, what we witnessed was an orchestrated scheme to disgrace and remove her from office,” the Manhyia South legislator stated.
Dr Joshua Jebuntie Zaato
A political scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, has also described the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo as a politically-significant milestone in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
Speaking in an interview on TV3 on September 1, 2025, Dr Zaato asserted that history would remember President John Dramani Mahama as the first Ghanaian leader to dismiss a sitting Chief Justice, an unprecedented event under the 1992 Constitution.
“History will not remember constitutionality, no. History will remember that under the constitution, in this Fourth Republic, it was His Excellency John Dramani Mahama who was the first to fire a sitting Chief Justice, a member of the coequal arms of government.
“Tomorrow, when constitutional law is being taught, this example will always come up. So far, it is probably the biggest achievement of this government, the removal of the Chief Justice,” he added.
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Gabby Otchere-Darko
A leading figure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has also reacted to the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo by President John Dramani Mahama.
In a video shared on X, Otchere-Darko expressed his support for the Chief Justice, stating that he stands firmly with her.
He wrote, “Well put Dr Zaato. I stand with CJ Torkonoo and with Ghana.”
Nii Ayikoi Otoo
Former Attorney General and lead counsel for former Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, has as well stated that the five-member Pwamang Committee, which investigated the petitions ignored the judiciary’s travel policy presented to them.
Speaking on JoyNews on September 1, 2025, Ayikoi Otoo disclosed that his team submitted a judiciary travel policy during the committee’s investigations, but the committee did not refer to it.
“… There is a travel policy for the judiciary but they never referred to it. Although we tendered in the document that this is the travel policy, they didn’t refer to it,” he said.
The learned legal practitioner further argued that Justice Torkornoo committed no wrongdoing, stressing that she is entitled to travel with one person of her choice, as outlined in the judiciary’s travel policy.
“She’s entitled to travel with one person of her choice and she chose to do it. Remember that there have been other Chief Justices, some of them who had no spouses, and therefore, the law, as at the time, was that you could go with any person of your own choice, other than your spouse. So, what wrong did the former Chief Justice commit?” he quizzed.
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Kofi Tonto
Kofi Tonto, an aide to former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has also criticised the president, describing the process as “an evil seed” sown by him.
In a post on X, the politician urged the president to tread cautiously, warning that his actions could one day come back to haunt him.
“The evil seed Mahama has planted shall remain in the soil for many years to come. Mark it!” he wrote.
Other notable figures, including the Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin; Ama Governor; Richard Ahiagbah; and Miracles Aboagye of the New Patriotic Party, have reacted to the Chief Justice’s removal.
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