The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to resign and formally join the National Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing him of compromising the political neutrality and independence of the Judiciary.
The demand follows comments attributed to the Chief Justice during a working visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2, 2026, where he praised the performance of some state institutions and questioned Ghana’s record over the previous eight years.
In a statement issued on Thursday, September 3, the NPP said the Chief Justice’s remarks amounted to partisan political commentary that was inconsistent with his constitutional responsibilities.
“This is not the language of a Chief Justice. It is the language of a party propagandist, of a kind exclusively reserved for NDC communicators and serial callers, and it has no place whatsoever in the mouth of the head of Ghana’s Judiciary,” the party stated.
The NPP also criticised the Chief Justice for his interactions with government officials and attendance at events involving political appointees, arguing that such conduct could undermine public confidence in his impartiality.
It claimed that the Chief Justice had “presented himself not as the impartial head of an independent Judiciary but as a leading member of the National Democratic Congress in judicial robes.”
The party further took issue with an earlier declaration by the Chief Justice that everything must be done to ensure the success of President John Dramani Mahama’s agenda.
“A Chief Justice swears a single oath, and it is to the Constitution: to no President, no party and no agenda,” the NPP said.
It argued that the statement was particularly concerning because the President’s agenda includes the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, under which persons associated with the NPP have faced legal proceedings before the courts.
The opposition party also alleged that the Judiciary had demonstrated “remarkable haste” in cases involving its members, citing the issuance of vacation warrants and the incarceration of NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
According to the NPP, “justice in this Republic now proceeds at two speeds, remarkable haste for opponents of the government and serene leisure for its friends.”
The party further accused the Chief Justice of neglecting challenges within the Judiciary, including deteriorating court infrastructure, overwhelmed registries and difficult working conditions for judicial staff.
“He has instead metamorphosed into the monitoring and evaluation officer of the Executive, abandoning his own collapsing house to tour the state agencies of the government,” the NPP said.
It added: “With respect, My Lord, the leaking roofs are in your courts, not in the ministries.”
The NPP said it would organise a major press conference to present what it described as the “full record” of the Chief Justice’s conduct to the public.
It is demanding that the Chief Justice “immediately and unreservedly retract his partisan commentary and his vow of loyalty to the President’s agenda” or resign and formally join the NDC.
The party also called on President Mahama to fill the vacant Council of State position and publicly disavow any arrangement concerning the Chief Justice’s post-retirement future.
“The Judiciary belongs neither to the President, nor to the NDC, nor to the Chief Justice; it belongs to the people of Ghana,” the NPP said.
