The Director of Programmes and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has called for urgent reforms to address loopholes exploited by politicians to arbitrarily change the heads of institutions.

His comments follow the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo on April 22, after the establishment of a committee to investigate petitions seeking her removal from office over allegations of misconduct and incompetence.

The announcement was made by the Minister of State in Charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, citing constitutional provisions and consultations with the Council of State.

The President referenced Article 146(6) of the Constitution, which mandates the formation of a committee to probe allegations against a superior court judge when a prima facie case is established.

Drawing parallels with the removal of Mrs Charlotte Osei as Electoral Commission (EC) Chair and Daniel Domelevo as Auditor-General under the previous administration, Dr Asante is advocating for political and governance reforms to address undue bias and prevent “tit-for-tat behaviours”.

“If you observe the way these politicians are posturing, you can see disaster looming,” he lamented during an interview on the 22 April edition of Newsnight.

“Since 2012, following the election petition, the entire architecture for removing heads of independent governance institutions has come under attack,” he noted.

Dr Asante emphasised that the issue has become so pervasive that “people already believe that as soon as you trigger this process, it means you want to remove this person because of political bias”.

He urged immediate action to build a strong and impartial governance system, restoring trust and safeguarding the tenure of the heads of public institutions.

“There are challenges with the governance system within which the judiciary and the Chief Justice operate that must be addressed, otherwise questions of bias will persist and create further difficulties for any Chief Justice who assumes the role,” he stated.

Following the suspension, the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, has been appointed as acting Chief Justice, while a five-member committee investigates the three petitions filed against Chief Justice Torkonoo.

The committee, chaired by Justice Gabriel Pwamang, comprises distinguished individuals from various sectors:

1. Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang – Justice of the Supreme Court (Chair)
2. Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu – Justice of the Supreme Court
3. Daniel Yaw Domelevo – Former Auditor-General
4. Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo – Ghana Armed Forces
5. Professor James Sefah Dzisah – Associate Professor, University of Ghana