Prominent journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has raised questions about Ghana’s judicial priorities, citing perceived inconsistencies in the judiciary’s approach to cases with significant national implications.
Awuni criticized the judiciary’s apparent fast-tracking of a parliamentary case brought by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) while delays persist in other crucial legal matters.
When Parliament failed to sit for a few days, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo labelled it a “constitutional crisis,” leading a panel of judges to expedite the NPP’s case through the Supreme Court. Awuni contrasted this with the slow progress in another high-stakes case involving a law passed by Parliament in February. That law, awaiting the President’s signature, has stalled due to the executive’s refusal to receive it. Despite public outcry and protests by proponents of the law, the judiciary has yet to resolve the impasse.
Awuni questioned the inconsistency, asking why a brief absence of parliamentary proceedings sparked immediate judicial intervention while the executive’s stalling on a law passed by the legislative body has not received similar urgency. “What is the point in declaring a constitutional crisis over a lack of parliamentary proceedings,” he wrote, “when the outcome of parliamentary proceedings is ignored by the executive, and the judiciary doesn’t see it fit to expeditiously resolve the matter?”
With two months until the next election, Azure also highlighted the prolonged absence of parliamentary representation for the residents of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL), who have been without a Member of Parliament for four years. Azure suggested that if SALL had been an NPP stronghold, the Electoral Commission would have expedited the necessary processes for an election.
Critics, including Azure, argue that Ghana’s justice system may now represent a more serious constitutional crisis than the recent parliamentary disruptions, accusing the judiciary and other state institutions of failing to uphold the impartiality essential to a healthy democracy.
In light of these issues, Azure Awuni urged the public to consider the broader implications of the judiciary’s actions and delays in Ghana’s democratic processes.
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