Gushegu MP Alhassan Tampuli has urged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to stay out of Ghana’s political arena and allow politicians to engage in political contestation.

According to him, the Chief Justice, as the head of the Judiciary, must protect the independence and neutrality of the institution rather than wade into political conflicts.

“Keep off the arena of conflicts, keep off the arena of politics and allow us politicians to play there,” Mr Tampuli said.

His comments follow remarks by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie during a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2.

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The Chief Justice praised the performance of MIIF and other public institutions under the current administration, saying some of the developments he had witnessed had left him wondering what Ghana had been doing over the past eight years.

However, Mr Tampuli argued that the Chief Justice’s position requires him to exercise restraint in his public commentary, particularly on matters that could be interpreted as taking sides in Ghana’s political discourse.

Mr Tampuli said that while he respects the office of the Chief Justice and the distinguished personalities who have occupied it, the current occupant must uphold the standards set by his predecessors.

“If the Chief Justice, maybe in carrying on his career, feels he wants to join the political space, why not? He can decide to come and wear the jersey so that we can see him as an easy target,” he said.

Mr Tampuli maintained that until then, politicians would continue to exercise restraint in their criticism of the Chief Justice out of respect for the office.