The Minority in Parliament is strongly pushing for a capping of the number of Supreme Court Judges at 13.

Article 128 of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that the highest court shall consist of the Chief Justice and not less than 9 other Justices.

President Akufo-Addo since his assumption of office in 2017 has nominated 15 judges to the Apex court, the highest in the nation’s history.

Speaking during the consideration of the Appointments Committee report on the nomination of Justices Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu and Samuel Kwame Adibu, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu warned that if the appointment to the Supreme Court is not capped, a president may take advantage and pack it with his loyalists.

“We have seen significant numbers appointed under President Akufo-Addo to the Supreme Court of Ghana in the name of anticipated vacancies. Ghana does not need more than 13 Justices of the Supreme Court.

“This Parliament somehow must find a way to limit the numbers of Justices of the Supreme Court that the President can appoint…Mr. Speaker, where there is no ceiling provided, I want to believe that the framers of the Constitution assumed that Parliament will provide for those limitations, we cannot have an open end,” he said on the floor, Friday.

MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Boamah however said that if Parliament wants to do something of that sort, it should go ahead because the House has the power to take such an action.

“This house we cry too much over nothing, because we have the power to take certain actions if we want to cap or expand or limit the number of justices who can serve on the courts. Examples have been cited in other jurisdictions…Here as a House if we want to take steps we have the power to do that.”

Meanwhile, the House has approved the nomination of two justices appointed by the President to the Supreme Court.

Justices Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu and Samuel Kwame Adibu will add up to the current number of 12 Justices of the Supreme Court.