The Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, says President John Mahama has “no time” for what he calls the NPP’s attempts to push a third-term narrative.

The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC says the President and his team are overwhelmed with the urgent task of repairing what he calls the damage caused by the Akufo-Addo administration.

Speaking on PM Express, he said the government is fully guided by the constitution.

“Ghana has a constitution, and that constitution is the instrument that controls all of us,” he said.

But he stressed that the Presidency is consumed by the weight of the crisis inherited.

“As I sit here, President Mahama and the leadership of the party are more occupied with battling the difficulties that President Akufo-Addo have taken this country to. It’s been very difficult.”

He said the workload on government officials has been intense.

“The last few months, I have seen the President not resting. From here, he’s gone here. He’s never rested.” He added that ministers are under similar strain.

“I’ve seen ministers of state. Recently, I had a meeting with my general secretary. He was acknowledging what some of our ministers go through, and the difficulty to even reach out to them, and he admitted to me that he understands some of these difficulties.”

Mr Gbande said the party leadership is united behind the President. “Our national chairman believes him,” he said. He dismissed the claims coming from the NPP and its parliamentary leadership.

“We are not bothered about these renditions being carried out by Alexander Afenyo-Markin and his people. They can talk, but the right things will be done.”

He also revisited his long-standing concerns about the judiciary under former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo.

“I have always, and I have said that vehemently, my fear of having Justice Torkonoo being Chief Justice.” When asked why, he said, “There were issues I was raising, and those issues I still stand by.”

He insisted his objections were never political. “Someone comes up with a petition, and it went through a committee. The committee found that the reasons why she should not be there it is not an issue of President John Mahama or the NDC.”

He said he believes in strong institutions. He praised former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo. “I have come across women who have been heads of the judiciary, and they’ve discharged themselves creditably. Justice Sophia Akuffo is one of them. If there’s an opportunity for her to be a chief justice today, I will be the first person to advocate for her.”

He contrasted that with his view of Justice Torkonoo. “She has discharged herself competently, so well that Ghanaians didn’t think that, because her family is one person or the other, she’s compromised. I cannot say same of Justice Torkonoo, and I cannot say that she discharged herself creditably well.” He added, “I will say that and take responsibility for it.”

He accused the NPP’s parliamentary leader of worsening the controversy. “I have always said that her wounds were more deeply wounded by the posture of Alexander Afenyo-Markin. He is the one who destroyed her. If she has anybody to accuse, it should be him and not anybody else.”

When asked why he believed that, he said, “He helped in politicising her. The individuals who are bystanders, when they look at the issues, what they see is politicisation and who caused it, it was Afenyo-Markin.”