Baffoe-Bonnie Rejects ‘Political Reward’ Narrative, Highlights 17-Year Supreme Court Tenure in Tense Vetting
Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie firmly rebuffed suggestions that his nomination as Chief Justice stems from political favoritism, quipping during a heated parliamentary vetting that he would be “disappointed” if his 2013 election petition vote for President John Dramani Mahama were his sole credential.
The 73-year-old nominee, appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee at 11:00 a.m. in Committee Rooms 1, 2, and 3 of the New Administration Block, emphasized his unassailable qualifications after 17 years on the Supreme Court—longer than any current peer.
“To say I am the best qualified person in the Supreme Court… now I will say that. The person who served nearest to me has been there for 10 years, another from 2005, and others from 2019 and 2020. So, I believe I qualify for the position,” he asserted, underscoring his ascent from the Bar in 1983 through High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court roles since 2008.
The session, chaired by First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor, quickly devolved into partisan fireworks before substantive questions, as Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin branded Baffoe-Bonnie a “disputed” pick amid “opaque” circumstances in former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s September 1 dismissal via the Pwamang Committee.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga demanded a retraction, invoking Standing Orders and decrying the rhetoric as courtroom theatrics unfit for Parliament, leading to over an hour of procedural wrangling.
Baffoe-Bonnie, undeterred, vowed to “restore confidence” in Ghana’s judiciary if confirmed, pledging reforms to enhance efficiency, access to justice, and public trust—priorities he linked to his decades of service.
Nominated by Mahama on September 23 under Article 144 of the 1992 Constitution, he has acted as Chief Justice since April 2025, navigating the fallout from Torkornoo’s removal over misconduct allegations in a single citizen petition.
The vetting persists despite the NPP Minority’s October 29 motion to suspend it pending ECOWAS Court resolutions on Torkornoo’s cases—a bid Speaker Alban Bagbin dismissed as baseless, citing a Supreme Court ruling that constitutional duties cannot be stalled by litigation.
Afenyo-Markin decried the process as executive overreach, echoing NPP claims of NDC retribution for Torkornoo’s rulings, including those in the 2024 election disputes.
As the committee probes his judicial philosophy and reform vision, Baffoe-Bonnie’s confirmation—expected via plenary vote post-report—could solidify Mahama’s early judicial imprint in the hung Parliament, where NDC holds a razor-thin edge. Critics warn of eroded independence, while proponents hail his tenure as a stabilizing force amid ongoing electoral sensitivities.
The proceedings, livestreamed on Parliament’s platforms, drew thousands of viewers, amplifying public scrutiny on Ghana’s separation of powers at a pivotal juncture.
