The Minority in Parliament rejected the approval of Supreme Court nominee Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice of Ghana.
The Minority Caucus demanded that a secret ballot be held to formally record their opposition.
During a parliamentary debate on the Appointments Committee’s report on Thursday, November 13, 2025, the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, reaffirmed the caucus’s firm position against the nomination.
“Mr Speaker, we maintain our position on this nomination, and we reject same. We are going to demand a secret ballot to reject this. We are going to demand a secret ballot to vote to let Hansard record our opposition,” he declared.
He further observed that some Members of Parliament might hold independent views and would prefer the opportunity to express them freely through a secret ballot rather than a voice vote.
“Mr Speaker, we know that there are members who have their own views and would want to exercise their rights when there’s a secret ballot. We, the Minority, are going to invoke that so that we take a secret ballot to register our dissent on this matter,” he added.
Opposition to Baffoe-Bonnie’s Chief Justice bid not personal – Alhassan Tampuli
The Minority’s stance follows the Appointments Committee’s majority decision recommending Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s approval, citing his “deep knowledge of the law, judicial ethics,” and his commitment to upholding constitutional principles.
Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who currently serves as the Acting Chief Justice, was nominated by President John Mahama to succeed Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who appeared before the committee on Monday, November 10, 2025, reaffirmed his readiness to lead the Judiciary into an era of renewed confidence and transparency.
The vetting began on a contentious note when Afenyo-Markin referred to him as a “disputed nominee,” prompting an immediate objection from the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, who argued that there was “no dispute regarding the nominee before us.”
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