The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has rejected calls by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to resign, insisting that the Chief Justice is neither affiliated with the governing party nor has made comments that warrant his resignation.

Mr Gbande was responding to criticism from the NPP following remarks by the Chief Justice during recent visits to some state-owned institutions, including the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

The NPP has questioned the propriety of the Chief Justice's public comments and engagements with state institutions, with the NPP calling on him to resign and join the party if he intends to comment on matters of governance.

However, speaking on JoyFM's Top Story on Thursday, September 3, Mr Gbande said the calls were unjustified.

“The Chief Justice is not NDC. I don't know him. I don't know him to be NDC. The NDC does not need a Chief Justice to comment for us,” he said.

He argued that the Chief Justice's comments should not automatically be interpreted as political support for the governing NDC.

According to him, the NDC has its own government machinery capable of communicating the achievements and policies of the administration and does not require the intervention of the head of the Judiciary.

Mr Gbande maintained that the Chief Justice, like every other Ghanaian, remains a citizen with personal experiences and observations about governance.

“Every citizen must also speak on its own experience as far as governance is concerned. And the Chief Justice is a citizen of Ghana,” he stated.

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He dismissed suggestions that the Chief Justice's remarks constituted grounds for resignation.

“I don't think the Chief Justice should resign. I don't know him. I don't know his opinion. I don't think that this is a comment that calls for anybody's resignation,” Mr Gbande stressed.

The NDC Deputy General Secretary said he found nothing inherently wrong with the Chief Justice commenting on developments he had personally observed during his visits to public institutions.

“For me, I don't find anything wrong with the comment of the Chief Justice. And I don't think that it is strange,” he said.

Mr Gbande further accused the NPP of attempting to manufacture controversy around the Chief Justice's comments.

He questioned whether holding the position of Chief Justice meant Justice Baffoe-Bonnie had forfeited his right to comment on issues affecting the country.

“Let's interrogate further the comments of the Chief Justice whether or not the Chief Justice is a citizen of Ghana and that he lacks the capacity to comment on issues that affect him as a citizen of Ghana,” he argued.

Mr Gbande further said that the Chief Justice's discussions about the performance of institutions such as MIIF should be based on the facts rather than political considerations.

He accused the previous Akufo-Addo-led administration of mismanaging MIIF, describing the institution as a “crime scene” under the former government.

“Is it true, is it a fact? The Mineral Income Investment Fund was a crime scene under President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. It was a crime scene clearly,” he said.

Mr Gbande argued that institutional performance should not be measured solely by revenue generation but also by how effectively resources are managed.

He maintained that the NPP should focus on interrogating the substance of the Chief Justice's observations rather than demanding his resignation.

“The Chief Justice is a citizen of Ghana,” he reiterated, insisting that his comments should not be viewed through a partisan political lens.