Former NPP General Secretary, John Boadu, has described as dangerous the conduct of the newly vetted Chief Justice, warning that rulings based on personal feelings could undermine the justice system.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on November 11, he said the example cited during Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s vetting process revealed troubling judicial instincts.
“Look at what happened with the vetting of the Chief Justice,” he said.
“A CJ who can say that the convicted, and instead of giving him 30 years, he felt that he was still young, and if you give him 30 years, he may come back to see him alive and may harm him.
“Because of that, he gave him 70 years. That is very dangerous for our body politic. It is very dangerous for our justice delivery in this country.”
He argued that justice cannot be guided by emotion or personal fears.
“If a Chief Justice gives a ruling based on his personal feelings and benefits, how many of the cases that go to him will not be determined based on his personal benefits? This is very dangerous,” he said.
Mr Boadu, who is aspiring to be the opposition party’s chairman, added that “this is something that I would have expected the President to have withdrawn him, or Parliament to have rejected him.”
Commenting on the Minority’s walkout during the vetting, Mr Boadu defended their decision, saying it was meant to avoid legitimising an illegality.
“We walk out because we didn’t want to legitimise illegality,” he said.
“They shouldn’t have vetted him. They should have just let him go. If it turns out that the views of a nominee are injurious to the delivery of justice, must he go through?”
Mr Boadu said the Minority’s action was justified.
“The opposition made their point. The opposition felt that even the vetting wasn’t necessary because there is a case that can have an effect on what they are vetting the person for.
“So in our thinking, this should have allowed an acting CJ to continue till that matter before the court is cleared. That’s our position.”
He maintained that the Majority’s conduct in Parliament made any effort to raise concerns futile.
“What else were they to do? If we were even sitting there and raising these issues, considering the attitude of the Majority, what would they do?” he asked.
Mr Boadu also reflected on the NPP’s poor parliamentary performance in 2024, linking it to the party’s reduced influence in oversight.
“We had an abysmal performance in 2024,” he said.
“We had just less than 32% of parliamentary representation. If we had full numbers in Parliament, certain things would go through that would not go through.”
He pointed to the swift passage of the petroleum levy as an example.
“They imposed a levy on petroleum products. They did it within 24 hours. There wasn’t a major critique or review because we were not enough to kick against it,” he said.