Former Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini has criticised the Minority in Parliament for attempting to halt the vetting of Chief Justice nominee Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, describing their motion as legally and constitutionally misplaced.
The comments follow a motion filed by the Minority on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, seeking to suspend all parliamentary processes leading to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s appointment until pending legal actions filed by the removed Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, are resolved.
The motion, signed by some Minority MPs, was defended by Gushegu MP Hassan Tampuli, who argued that Parliament must adopt the motion to uphold due process. He noted that the caucus’ position was not against the nominee personally but intended to protect procedural fairness.
“It appears to me that he [Tampuli] is arguing the legal case for Torkornoo, and Parliament is not a court. That is not the place to argue the legal case of Torkornoo,” Mr Fuseini said.
He explained that Parliament’s role in the appointment process is clearly defined and cannot be suspended simply because a legal case is before the courts.
“There is a method of appointing a Chief Justice. The nomination must come from the President, and the approval must come from Parliament. When the two coincide, then the act is consolidated. The Chief Justice is approved and sworn into office,” he stated.
Mr Fuseini added that unless the President’s nomination is itself stopped, Parliament cannot be prevented from performing its constitutional duty under Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution.
He further noted that the framers of the Constitution did not intend for decisions regarding the removal of a Chief Justice to be subject to appeal, pointing out that Article 146 provides finality to such proceedings.
“If the framers of the Constitution had intended an appeal, they would have provided for it,” he said.
Source: Prince Adu Owusu
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