We should be happy the constitution is working – Kwaku Ansa-Asare on CJ removal
A former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has justified the removal of the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, by President John Mahama, acting on the recommendations of the Committee that established grounds of stated misbehaviour against her.
Her removal by the President follows recommendations from a constitutional committee set up under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
The decision came barely hours after the President received the report of a committee constituted under Article 146(6) to inquire into a petition filed by Ghanaian citizen Daniel Ofori. That was only one out of the three petitions.
According to Ansa-Asare, the move demonstrates the robustness of Ghana’s democratic and constitutional systems.
Speaking on The Pulse programme on JoyNews, Mr Ansa-Asare maintained that rather than expressing dismay, Ghanaians should take pride in the fact that constitutional processes are being upheld.
“If you allege that your constitutional rights are being violated, and you yourself as the head of the judiciary do not understand the ramifications of the Chief Justice removal process, you shoot yourself wrongly in the foot,” Mr Ansa-Asare asserted.
He continued, “I don’t think that we should be sad about this; we should rather be happy. We should be happy that the constitution is working. This is a democracy.”
However, Mr Ansa-Asare stressed that any presidential action must be judged solely by its adherence to the constitution.
“If the President has to act, every step the President takes, he must act in accordance with the constitution,” he said.
“So far, I have yet to be convinced that the President has contravened the constitutional process. No one has been able to pinpoint exactly where President Mahama has gotten it wrong.”
