The suspended Chief Justice of Ghana has filed a petitioned the Supreme Court to bar two of its justices, Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu from taking part in the proceedings that could lead to her possible removal from office.
The writ, filed on her behalf by ex-Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, comes at the back of allegations that the two justices had private meeeting in a restaruant with a lawyer connected to the matter currently before a committee of inquiry.
The application names Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo, Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo, and Professor James Sefah Dzisah as defendants/respondents.
According to the motion, Justice Torkornoo is requesting the Supreme Court to restrain the committee, composed of the second to sixth defendants, from continuing any proceedings or actions relating to the inquiry into the three petitions seeking her removal.
The writ was filed in less than 24hours after similar suit seeking to halt the activities of the Committee brought before the Supreme Court by Dr James Kwabena Bomfeh, CEO of CenCES was demissed
Musa Dankwah Opionion Polls found its way into the petiton
The suspended Cheif Justice in the writ told the Supreme Court that an opion polls conducted before her suspension alleged how unpopular she was and that she has to be removed.
In a political twist to the writ, Justice Gertrude Torkonoo however linked the pollster to the rulling government to back her argument of unjust move to remove her from office.
That before my suspension, an opinion poll had purportedly been organised by a pollster known to be close to the Government in which he alleged that I was so unpopular that I had to be removed as the Chief Justice – CJ told the Supreme Court
Musa Dankwah’s response:
In a sharp reponse, the Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics shootdown any wrongdoing saying “Public opinion will remain public opinion. It should not be the basis of removing anyone protected by the Constitution from office. The law is the law and opinion only matters when it is voters decision but they will have their say but the law will have its way.”
According to Mr. Dankwah, they conducted two sepreate post-event polls – after the removal process started and after the news of her CJ suspension hence those polls could not have influenced her removal petition and or her suspension.
Global InfoAnalytics conducted two polls. The first was after the process to initiate her removal process commenced and we asked voters if they supported the process to remove the Chief Justice. it was post-event and therefore could not have influenced the decision to proceed.
Read Mr. Dankwah’s full post:
My attention has been drawn to the fact that our work on opinion of Ghanaians on whether they support the suspension of the CJ has made it to a petition filed by the CJ.
Public opinion will remain public opinion. It should not be the basis of removing anyone protected by the Constitution from office. The law is the law and opinion only matters when it is voters decision but they will have their say but the law will have its way.
Global InfoAnalytics conducted two polls. The first was after the process to initiate her removal process commenced and we asked voters if they supported the process to remove the Chief Justice. it was post-event and therefore could not have influenced the decision to proceed.
The second poll was conducted after the suspension, asking voters if they support the suspension, again, after the event. How could these polls of public opinion find its way into a petition?
So, people don’t know the role of pollsters?
By: Efo Korsi Senyo / Awake News
