President John Dramani Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama came under intense scrutiny by a section of the public after his nomination of seven justices to the apex court of the land – the Supreme Court.
Many of these critics accused the president of hypocrisy, arguing that his nominations contradict his own pronouncements on capping the number of justices at the Supreme Court.
These critics have referred to Mahama’s remarks at a campaign event before the 2024 general election, where he lambasted Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo for nominating some justices for appointment to the Supreme Court by then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
A video clip from the event showed Mahama raising serious concerns about the attempt to appoint more justices to the highest court of the land, as well as the procedure process being used.
He also stated that the Constitutional Review Committee, instituted by the late former President Prof John Evans Atta Mills, recommended that the number of Supreme Court judges should not exceed 15.
He added that it is for the people of Ghana to decide how many justices the court should have, vowing to act on the committee’s recommendation.
“… even the issue of capping the number of judges. The Constitutional Review Committee recommended that we cap Supreme Court judges at 15. And so the issue of capping the Supreme Court is not for the Chief Justice to say. We will resurrect the constitutional review process when I become president.
“And when we do that, we will put it to the Ghanaian people whether we should retain the 15, whether we should reduce it, or whether we should increase it,” Mahama said.
He further stated that it should be the Chief Justice who recommends the appointment of Supreme Court justices to the president.
Watch Mahama’s remarks in the video below:
Hmm
pic.twitter.com/1SVjrPKDmx— For The Records (@ForTheRecordsGh) May 2, 2025
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