The Chairperson and Leader of the People’s National Party (PNP), Janet Asana Nabla, has submitted a petition to the office of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, regarding the recent suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo.
In her petition, Nabla accused President John Dramani Mahama of acting unjustly, abusing his executive powers, and undermining Ghana’s constitutional democracy.
She expressed concern that the suspension reflected an orchestrated political move rather than a legitimate disciplinary action.
She described Justice Torkornoo as a woman of high integrity and a seasoned judicial officer who had served the nation for over 35 years, rising through the ranks on merit. Nabla lamented that such a person was now facing what she termed humiliation and persecution, not due to any wrongdoing, but as a result of what she believed to be a politically motivated agenda spearheaded by the President.
Nabla is alleging that the President is attacking the independence of the judiciary by suspending the Chief Justice without credible evidence of misconduct.
She further claimed that the committee formed to investigate the matter was chaired by someone known to be a long-standing rival of the Chief Justice, thereby violating principles of natural justice and fairness.
She also accused the government of subjecting the suspended Chief Justice to human rights violations, asserting that the move constituted not just an attack on Justice Torkornoo, but on all Ghanaian women and the rule of law itself.
Calling for the intervention of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Nabla appealed to the Asantehene to use his moral authority to protect the Chief Justice. She stated that traditional leaders like the Asantehene has long served as the moral compass of the nation, and that Ghanaians were now looking to them for justice in the face of growing political interference.
She respectfully urged the King to stand and defend a woman who, in her words, had dedicated her life to defending the constitution now under threat.
