The former presidential candidate and Ghanaian statesman Edward Mahama has described the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Torkornoo as fundamentally flawed, arguing that the development reflects deeper structural defects in Ghana’s 1992 constitution.
On 1 September 2025, President John Mahama formally removed Justice Torkornoo from office on the recommendation of a five-member committee chaired by the Supreme Court judge Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang.
Speaking exclusively with Wilberforce Asare for Asaase News, Dr Mahama said the process lacked credibility and undermined the principle of separation of powers.
“That effort to do this has been in the works since 1992 so, for me, what has happened now just tells me, as Chinua Achebe said, ‘the centre cannot hold, things fall apart’.
“The three institutions of government – the presidency, Parliament and the judiciary – must be independent, and, in this particular case, that independence has been eroded,” he said.
Dr Mahama maintained that the 1992 constitution was designed in a way that concentrated power in the hands of one individual, creating systemic weaknesses that have carried over three decades.
“From 1992, I said it when Professor Mills appointed the constitutional review committee – I gave my submission that a nation is a group of people. So, when you do a constitution that is intended for one person, it brings problems.
“I still stand by it, that the 1992 constitution was flawed, and going forward we are going to continue to have these problems,” he said.
He further argued that the entire process leading to the removal of the Chief Justice cannot be said to reflect true justice, as it was carried out under what he described as a defective constitutional framework.
“If the constitution is flawed, then things that emanate from the constitution will be flawed, and that is my point. Why has President Mahama set up a constitutional review committee? Everybody in Ghana knows that the constitution is flawed, but we haven’t had the courage to change it.
“If we use a flawed process to arrive at a decision, that decision cannot be right. I stand by the Ghana Bar Association that this decision is not right,” he said.
Dr Mahama’s remarks align with growing concerns from sections of civil society and professional groups, including the Ghana Bar Association, about the implications of Justice Torkornoo’s removal for constitutional governance and judicial independence.
Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
