GBA condemns Akufo-Addo’s political campaigning message at bar conference

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has expressed its disapproval of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s utilization of their conference platform for political campaigning, particularly against former President John Mahama.

The GBA, a respected and influential body within Ghana’s legal community, has taken a firm stance against what it perceives as an inappropriate blending of political messaging within the context of a professional conference. The association has raised concerns regarding the potential implications for the impartiality and integrity of the legal profession.

The GBA’s Public Relations Officer, Saviour Kudze, said: “What the president said today is rather unfortunate and we condemn it. The aspect we condemn has to do with his appeal to Ghanaians, essentially campaigning, urging them to vote against Mahama simply because he commented on President Akufo-Addo allegedly appointing NPP-aligned judges, as stated by President Mahama.”

Kudze in an interview on Citi FM further noted, “And also bringing up the issue of the investigations allegedly linking former President Mahama to the Airbus scandal. Our platform is not supposed to be used for that and then we condemn that aspect of President Akufo-Addo’s comment. We are not going to allow anybody to use our platform to campaign politically for or against any opponent.”

However, the GBA clarified that it would not issue an apology to Mahama, asserting that they had similarly criticized him in the past when he engaged in similar behavior.

Earlier on Monday, Akufo-Addo strongly rebuked Mahama for his recent allegations regarding the judiciary being influenced by judges aligned with the ruling NPP party.

He characterized Mahama’s comments as “very dangerous” and contended that they constituted a “brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary.”

The GBA stated that while they shared Akufo-Addo’s concerns about the independence of the judiciary, they did not endorse his methods.

“The GBA believes that the best way to protect the independence of the judiciary is to ensure that all politicians, regardless of their party affiliation, respect the rule of law and the separation of powers,” their statement emphasized.