Former Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has taken a swipe at the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) for offering its platform to President Akufo-Addo to attack his predecessor John Dramani Mahama.

According to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, the Ghana Bar Association deliberately offers its platform to President Akufo-Addo to attack his opponents.

President Akufo-Addo who addressed the 2023 Bar Conference in Cape Coast took the opportunity to denounce former President Mahama, refuting his accusation that he Akufo-Addo had stuffed the bench with judges sympathetic to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

• Concept of NPP and NDC Supreme Court judges is dangerous – Akufo-Addo hits back at Mahama

Referring to former President Mahama’s comment as ‘extremely dangerous,’ President Akufo-Addo said “Not only are these concepts of ‘NPP’ and ‘NDC’ judges new in our public discourse, they are also extremely dangerous, and represent the most brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by any allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic.”

President Akufo-Addo then followed it up with a clarion call on the electorate to ensure John Mahama does not win the upcoming 2024 presidential elections.

“They provide another reason, if more were needed, why right-thinking citizens should ensure the defeat in 2024 of the man whom the first Special Prosecutor identified as Government Official No.1, in the still unresolved Airbus Bribery Scandal,” he said.

• Akufo-Addo shouldn’t have used our platform for campaign purpose – GBA

But distancing themselves from the comment, the Ghana Bar Association’s PRO, Saviour Kudze said it was not proper of the President to have used their platform for political campaigning.

He said, “Akufo-Addo also said even though he said President Mahama didn’t do well, and all that I admit, fine, that was all. But the only aspect I have a little concern about is going ahead to urge people to more or less vote against him. I don’t think that it was proper for him to use the platform for that.

• Akufo-Addo has packed the courts with NPP-inclined judges; we must balance it – Mahama to NDC lawyers

“Because condemning what President Mahama said, many more people have already done it, the Ghana Bar Association too has done it, but to go ahead to say that because of what he said people should more or less vote against him, I think that to me amounted to doing some political campaign on our platform which to me is not acceptable,” he said.

But Mr Kwakye Ofosu says the rebuke from the GBA is not genuine and should be disregarded.

Speaking on Metro TV on Tuesday, September 12, the National Democratic Congress' Parliamentary Candidate for Abura Asebu Kwamankese said the Association deliberately offered President Akufo-Addo its platform to attack John Mahama.

"That Ghana Bar Association's condemnation of Akufo-Addo should be dismissed. It is not of any moral value. It is due to a response to intense public backlash for availing their platform for this sort of pedestrian politicking by the President and the Attorney General. In fact, the Attorney General did more politicking because he actually asked for Bawumia to be voted for."

"The Bar Association knew this was going to happen. This is not the first time they have invited President Akufo-Addo. This is the third time that President Akufo-Addo has headlined their conference. He has done that all the time."