In a bold defence of Ghana’s constitutional democracy, the Third Force Alliance, comprising five political parties, has thrown its weight behind President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to suspend Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing the move as a “defining moment for leadership, accountability, and the rule of law. At a packed press conference in Accra, the Alliance called out attempts to politicise the suspension, warning that such actions risk undermining the very institutions they claim to protect.
A coalition of minority political parties under the banner of the Third Force Alliance has broken its silence on the suspension of Ghana’s Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo. Addressing journalists at the International Press Centre, leaders of the CPP, PNC, GFP, GCPP, and APC called for calm, clarity, and constitutional maturity.
The Alliance defended the president’s decision as being fully within the bounds of Article 146 of the Constitution and lambasted the New Patriotic Party for what they described as “political grandstanding” and an attempt to rally public sympathy on grounds devoid of legal merit.
They warned that judicial accountability must not be hijacked by partisanship, and urged the public to trust the constitutional process now underway. The Alliance also proposed sweeping reforms, including the establishment of an independent Judicial Integrity Commission and statutory timelines for judicial inquiries—measures they say will protect both the judiciary and democracy.
In a stinging rebuke, they described recent demonstrations by the NPP as a “monumental flop,” accusing the party of abandoning the rule of law for political expediency.
But above all, the Alliance’s message was clear: Ghana must place the Constitution above personalities. And in doing so, affirm that no one, not even the highest judicial officer, is beyond the reach of due process.
BY Peter Quao Adattor
Full statement
