Deputy Spokesperson for the John Mahama Campaign, Beatrice Annan,has criticised the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration that four parliamentary seats were vacant.

She argued that the ruling, issued under Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, aligned closely with the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) interests and would not be well-regarded in the future.

In an interview on Channel One TV on Saturday, 16 November, Ms Annan claimed that the ruling missed a valuable opportunity to reinforce Ghana’s democratic principles.

She expressed disappointment, stating, “The Supreme Court once again missed a golden opportunity to uphold and advance our democracy. What we have is not beautiful.”

Ms Annan further suggested that the ruling reinforced public perceptions that the Supreme Court is politically motivated in its decisions.

She alleged that under the leadership of Chief Justice Torkornoo, the Court appeared to favour the interests of the NPP, a stance she argued would ultimately undermine the Court’s integrity in the eyes of Ghanaians.

She went on to suggest that the Supreme Court’s decision was tailored to align with the executive’s preferred outcome, undermining the independence of the judiciary.

“The judges struggled to justify that outcome,” Ms Annan observed, referring to what she saw as an attempt to rationalise a predetermined result.

Comparing the decision to judicial standards in other common law jurisdictions, Ms Annan remarked that observers outside Ghana would likely view the ruling as politically influenced.

She noted that this outcome detracted from Ghana’s democratic image and judicial autonomy, calling the Court’s decision a missed chance to consolidate democratic progress.

Annan concluded by reiterating her belief that the ruling had failed to inspire confidence in the Supreme Court’s impartiality, stressing that the judgment would have a lasting impact on public trust in the judiciary’s commitment to democratic value.