CJ’s Removal Could Mark ‘Beginning of the Death of Our Democracy’ – Joseph Dindiok Kpemka
Former Deputy Attorney General, Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, has cautioned that the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo may mark the start of a dangerous trend that could weaken Ghana’s democracy if constitutional reforms are not urgently pursued.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Akwatia Watch programme on Monday, September 1, 2025, Kpemka warned that although the process was constitutionally grounded, it exposed the judiciary to potential political manipulation, threatening the independence of the third arm of government.
“That is my position because if we don’t [amend the Constitution], what has happened today will be the beginning of the death of our democracy,” he said.
President John Dramani Mahama removed Justice Torkornoo in line with Article 146(9) of the 1992 Constitution, following a committee’s recommendation that allegations of stated misbehaviour brought against her by petitioner Mr. Daniel Ofori had been proven.
The Presidency has maintained that the removal strictly adhered to constitutional requirements, but Kpemka believes the precedent is troubling.
“I am telling you it will be repeated. When a president from a different political party comes up, it will definitely be a process filed, however frivolous it is. The Council of State will determine that there is a prima facie case, the president will then form a committee, the committee will then bring the recommendation, and the CJ will be removed. That will be a danger,” he stressed.
Kpemka also rejected comparisons between Justice Torkornoo’s removal and that of a former Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, describing such arguments as flawed.
“When people make the mistake of comparing the removal of the EC boss to the removal of the CJ, it is most unfortunate. The EC boss does not head one of the three arms of government, and that equalisation is much ado about nothing,” he argued.
He further warned that turning both the office of the Chief Justice and that of the EC Chairperson into “political footballs” could severely undermine their independence, credibility, and the democratic integrity of the country.
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