By: Kenneth Appiah Bani
The Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central Constituency, Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A-Plus, has waded into the ongoing discourse surrounding the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, attributing the development to political undercurrents.
According to him, the decision should not come as a surprise, given the perceived partisan manner in which some judicial rulings were handled under her leadership. He argued that while some people may seek to explain her removal away from politics, past events at the Supreme Court point otherwise.
“When she was handing down 11:0 unanimous decisions at the Supreme Court, was that grounded in technical and vocational skills?” he questioned, suggesting that some rulings during her tenure were politically influenced.
Mr. Obeng drew comparisons between the Court’s swift response to a recent case involving the Speaker of Parliament and its inaction on the much-debated Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL) parliamentary representation issue. He maintained that the Court’s failure to expedite the SALL case cost the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) a parliamentary majority.
“For four solid years, the people of SALL, protected by Article 17 of the Constitution like any other Ghanaian, were denied representation in Parliament simply because Akufo-Addo thought Ghana belonged to him, and Torkonoo believed she was untouchable,” the MP lamented.
The outspoken legislator further stressed that the episode serves as a lesson for all political leaders and public officials, warning that abuse of power often comes full circle.
“It’s a lesson for all of us: when you use your position of power to do people ‘yawa’ in Ayawaso, don’t complain if they attempt to ‘kum’ you at Ablekuma,” he remarked.
Despite his criticisms, Mr. Obeng expressed sympathy for the embattled Chief Justice, acknowledging her roots in Gomoa Mpota in his constituency. He, however, noted that like many government appointees before her, she may have sacrificed her legacy for political expediency.
“It is unfortunate, and honestly, I feel sad for her. If for nothing at all, she is from Gomoa Mpota. But like many of the previous government appointees, she too sacrificed everything she had worked so hard to achieve, either for trivial gains or simply to satisfy Akufo-Addo,” he stated.
Concluding his remarks, the Gomoa Central legislator summed up the development with a resigned reflection: “It is what it is!”
