Political figure and legal practitioner Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has defended Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin following growing public criticism over remarks he made concerning a Circuit Court judge presiding over the case involving NPP Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.
The controversy stems from comments made by the Minority Leader after Abronye DC was remanded over allegations of offensive conduct likely to disturb public peace, as well as the publication of false statements against a judge.
Afenyo-Markin had openly questioned the conduct of the presiding judge and indicated he would continue to disregard him over what he described as a wrongful application of the law. The remarks have since triggered widespread public debate, with some legal and political observers raising concerns about respect for judicial authority.
Reacting to the matter in a Facebook post on Wednesday, May 20, Gabby Otchere-Darko said the Minority Leader’s comments should not be viewed through a purely partisan lens but within the broader context of democratic accountability, civil liberties, and freedom of expression.
He maintained that the issue should not be reduced to a political confrontation between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), but rather seen as part of a wider national conversation on rights and governance.
“Protecting human rights and guarding the dignity of our legal system requires men and women of courage, conviction, and patriotic verve. That is why I doff my hat to Alexander Afenyo-Markin for taking on the judge who displayed such troubling zeal in endorsing the imprisonment of free speech,” he wrote.
Otchere-Darko further warned that concerns about free expression and judicial conduct could extend beyond political actors to ordinary citizens.
“Today, it may be a political activist. Tomorrow it could be the journalist, the radio commentator, the student, the taxi driver, or the ordinary young Ghanaian with a smartphone and an opinion,” he added.
He stressed that while the law must be enforced, it should not undermine constitutional rights and due process.
“Let the law deal firmly with those who fall foul of it. But let it never do so by compromising the protection of fundamental human rights, due process, and the freedoms that hold our democracy together. Justice must be done and seen to be manifestly done,” he stated.
The debate comes amid heightened public discussion on judicial independence, political accountability, and freedom of expression following the remand of Abronye DC.
