- Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin has warned that Chief Justice nominee Paul Baffoe-Bonnie will face tough scrutiny in Parliament
- He raised concerns over constitutional issues surrounding Baffoe-Bonnie’s nomination and current role as acting Chief Justice
- This comes amid a court challenge by former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who was recently removed from office
The Minority side in Ghana’s Parliament has hinted at its intentions to subject the Chief Justice nominee, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, to a rigorous vetting exercise.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, reportedly urged the Chief Justice nominee to adequately prepare for his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
Source: Facebook
Afenyo-Markin expressed concern over what he described as constitutional lapses surrounding the appointment and assumption of office by Baffoe-Bonnie, who is currently acting as Chief Justice after Gertrude Torkornoo was removed from office.
“The one who has been nominated for the Chief Justice position must come prepared to earn the approval of the House. If you come unprepared, you do not have your judgements, and we have questions about your involvement in your boss’s ‘sacking’ or concerns about how you have conducted yourself, you are required to answer. So, you have to prepare,” he warned.
Speaker Bagbin refers Baffoe-Bonnie’s nomination
He made this remark following Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin’s referral of President John Dramani Mahama’s nomination of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice to the committee for consideration when the House reconvened on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
Upon resumption of parliamentary proceedings, Speaker Bagbin read to the House a formal communication from President John Dramani Mahama nominating Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice of the Republic in accordance with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution.
This is despite a pending suit and injunction application filed by the former Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, who was recently removed from office.
However, the Speaker’s action rests firmly on a recent Supreme Court ruling in the case of Vincent Assafua v. Attorney-General (2025), which held that the performance of constitutional duties cannot be stayed merely because a lawsuit or injunction application has been filed.
On Friday, October 17, 2025, Gertrude Torkornoo filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the vetting and subsequent appointment of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice of Ghana.
In her writ, filed at the Accra High Court, she sought to restrain the President and Parliament from proceeding with the appointment of a new Chief Justice until her challenge is determined.
Source: Facebook
Former Chief Justice sues government
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that the former Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, filed a lawsuit against the government.
In a review application, Torkornoo seeks an order preventing the state from withholding her entitlements, which were due before her removal.
Additionally, she requests the annulment of the committee’s findings and the presidential warrant that removed her from office.
She further claimED that any attempt to deny or withdraw those entitlements was unlawful.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Yen.com.gh
