Minority NDC MPs on the Appointments Committee of Parliament have by consensus approved the appointment of Justice Gertrude Araba Essaba Torkonoo as Chief Justice.
In a statement by Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Governs Kwame Agbodza, MP for Adaklu Constituency in the Volta Region, "the members of the Appointments Committee representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will not withhold our approval of the Chief Justice nominee by consensus".
"Her curriculum vitae reveals a person of considerable experience having served as a judge from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and ultimately at the Supreme Court. Women who have acquitted themselves should be given opportunities to occupy key national offices. Even as we disagree with her jurisprudence, we find her qualified to occupy the high office of Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana," the statement added.
According to the Minority Caucus, the image of the judiciary is not in a good shape as several opinion polls show that, as such they hope that Justice Gertrude, as a lady Chief Justice, will restore the dignity of the judiciary.
No Vote Until Reasoned Judgment
The Minority Caucus in Parliament requested for the details of the judgement on James Gyakye Quayson, a former Assin North MP to be made available by June 7 before it can pass a vote on the president’s Chief Justice nominee, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
In a statement signed by Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza, the Caucus refrained from passing a vote on the nominee after the Appointments Committee of Parliament met after vetting the Supreme Court Justice.
"It is important to state that the Appointments Committee not long ago in 2019 vetted and approved this same nominee as a justice of the Supreme Court. However, it was imperative for Members of the Minority on the Committee to evaluate the decisions of the nomince on all other cases, including the James Gyakye Quayson case since the vetting in 2019," he stated.
Supreme Court's Full Judgement
The Supreme Court on Monday, June 5, 2023 released the full judgement in which it declared as unconstitutional the election of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North constituency in the Central Region.
This was after a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court ordered Parliament to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson from its records.
Presiding Judge, Justice Jones Dotse on Wednesday, May 17, ruled that the Electoral Commission (EC) acted unconstitutionally in allowing him to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship.
Read below the Minority's full statement
