Eric Delanyo Alifo Esq., a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communication Team, has criticized former President Akufo-Addo, accusing his administration of politicizing and undermining key state institutions.
According to him, this has weaken the country’s democratic foundations.
His remarks follow the suspension of the Chief Justice by President John Mahama on April 22, 2025.
The suspension was based on Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution after a prima facie case was established from three separate petitions.
The action was carried out in consultation with the Council of State, as constitutionally mandated.
In response to the suspension, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) issued a statement stressing the importance of upholding constitutional processes.
At the GBA’s mid-year conference, its President, Efua Ghartey, described the situation as unprecedented and called for public education and vigilance to ensure justice is served and visibly done.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and other opposition groups have announced plans to stage a demonstration on May 5.
They argue that the suspension constitutes political interference in the judiciary and have vowed to resist what they see as unconstitutional acts and threats to judicial independence.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mr. Alifo defended President Mahama’s actions, stating that due process has been followed in line with constitutional provisions.
He slammed critics, particularly the NPP, for what he described as hypocrisy and selective outrage.
He further accused former President Akufo-Addo of setting a precedent by politicizing vital institutions during his tenure.
Mr. Alifo called for a depoliticization of state institutions to restore public trust and safeguard Ghana’s democratic governance.
He said, “The president was the one that appointed the Chief Justice so if the president can appoint, why can’t he remove except that if you want to remove, there’s a process that you must follow and everybody should be observing that. The problem is like I said from the beginning, at the time of making the constitution, the framers wouldn’t envisaged that there would be a partisan Council of State, there will be partisan EC.”
“When we have decided to politicised every institution. Nana Akufo-Addo especially, even on the Electoral Commission, you put NPP communicators there, in the court, you put NPP people there, everywhere. He bastardised all the institutions, that’s the problem. That’s why even when you are going to the court, if the courts were objective, there wouldn’t be a problem. For 8years, Akufo-Addo has bullied us with this same Supreme court.”
