Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has resigned from Ghana’s Council of State, bringing an end to her tenure on the country’s highest presidential advisory body.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Madam Akuffo submitted her resignation last year and has not attended any meetings of the Council since then. Neither the former Chief Justice nor the Presidency has issued an official statement on the development, and the reasons behind her decision remain unclear.
The Council of State is a constitutional body tasked with advising the President on matters of national importance. Its members are drawn from across the country through a combination of election and presidential appointment.
Madam Akuffo’s departure comes after a period of intense public scrutiny linked to the removal process of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. In April 2025, the Council considered whether a prima facie case had been established against Justice Torkornoo. Thirty of the 31 members voted in favour, with Madam Akuffo being the only member who abstained.
She later appeared before the Article 146 committee investigating the matter after being invited by the suspended Chief Justice to give evidence in her defence. In subsequent public comments, Madam Akuffo raised concerns about the fairness of the process, describing the proceedings as resembling a “treason trial” and questioning whether the allegations were serious enough to warrant the removal of the head of the judiciary.
Her remarks drew criticism from some legal and political figures, with calls for her own removal from the Council of State. President John Dramani Mahama signed the warrant for Justice Torkornoo’s removal on September 1, 2025.
Madam Akuffo is widely regarded as one of Ghana’s most distinguished jurists. She served on the Supreme Court for more than two decades and became the country’s 13th Chief Justice in 2017, serving until 2020. She was the second woman to hold the position after Justice Georgina Theodora Wood.
Before her appointment as Chief Justice, she served as a judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and held several senior positions within Ghana’s judiciary.
No official announcement has yet been made regarding who will replace her on the Council of State.
