Gabby Otchere-Darko tackles John Mahama over ‘attack’ on Judiciary

A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has reacted to comments made by former President John Dramani Mahama against the Judiciary, describing them as ‘politicized’.

Addressing the US Chapter of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Bentley University over the weekend, John Mahama said governance institutions including the judiciary have been politicised and must therefore undergo reforms.

“We do have problems with the Judiciary, I must say. I think that it is necessary for some internal reforms to take place there. It is necessary for the Chief Justice or whoever is responsible to make some reforms.

“Most of the governance institutions have been politicised. I give the example of the Judiciary. It is only in Ghana that a Supreme Court will make a decision that a birth certificate is not proof of citizenship,” he said.

But reacting to the comments of the former president in a tweet, Mr. Otchere-Darko said, President Akufo-Addo together with other NPP members who took the 2012 elections to court refrained from such pronouncements even though the verdict went against them.

“We recall, when Ghana’s Supreme Court delivered a 5-4 majority decision in favour of President John Mahama in the 2012 presidential election petition, none of the petitioners (Akufo-Addo, Obetsebi-Lamptey or Bawumia) called for judicial reforms or accused the bench as politicised,” he tweeted.

John Mahama, who filed a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the 2020 election results lost unanimously.

Felix Kwakye Ofosu, an aide to John Mahama, has in recent times also opined that the Judiciary has borne hostility towards the NDC.