The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has dismissed allegations that it is aligned with the New Patriotic Party, describing such claims as inaccurate and unfair.

The reaction follows criticism by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who questioned the association’s silence after Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin allegedly verbally attacked a judge presiding over the case involving NPP Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.

Responding to the criticism, GBA spokesperson Saviour Kudze said the association had already begun processes to issue a statement on the matter and urged the public not to rush to conclusions.

“My response is that it is not surprising, but I am rather disappointed because this thing came to our attention last night, and it hasn’t even been 24 hours, and people have come to the conclusion that we are not going to issue a statement,” he said.

Mr Kudze explained that the delay was due to consultations involving officials required to approve and sign the statement.

“A statement was going to be issued except that those who will sign the statement were in a meeting, but because of the urgency of the matter and because we care about what we want to say about the conduct of the Minority Leader, who is a lawyer, that is why I am even granting you this interview. We didn’t want to wait until the statement gets finalised,” he added.

He further rejected suggestions that the association operates as a political extension of the NPP, insisting that lawyers are not admitted into the association based on political affiliation.

“I am surprised people will always continue to say that we are a wing of the NPP. I don’t see it that way. There is nothing wrong with lawyers becoming politicians,” he stated.

“When we are registering our members, nobody asks for anybody’s political association before the registration is done,” he added.

Speaking on Citi FM on Monday, May 18, Mr Kudze maintained that although individuals are entitled to their opinions, perceptions that the GBA is biased towards the NPP are false.

“Of course, that is people’s thinking, and that is their perception. They are entitled to it. I am saying that it is not true that we are a wing of NPP or that we are biased in favour of the NPP,” he said.

He also urged the public to focus attention on broader national issues such as sanitation, illegal mining and water shortages instead of politicising every matter involving the association.

“Let us go past this and think about the problems that are worrying us as a society — the problems of sanitation, the problems of galamsey, the problems of lack of water and all that,” he added.