The Minority Leader in Parliament, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has queried the indecent haste in the process of vetting Chief Justice nominee Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
He questioned why Parliament should proceed with the scheduled vetting by the Appointments Committee on Monday, November 10, 2,025 when multiple constitutional cases involving the nominee remained unresolved.
Raising the matter during consideration of the Business Committee’s statement on the floor of Parliament on Friday, Osahen Afenyo-Markin argued that the House would be undermining the rule of law if it endorsed the vetting amid what he described as troubling pending legal issues.
The Minority Leader, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, cited the case involving Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who is challenging her removal from office, as an example of delayed justice being perpetrated by Acting CJ Baffoe-Bonnie.
“Mr Speaker there is a High Court matter where Justice Torkornoo challenged the warrant of her removal; the AG filed an application seeking constitutional interpretation. It’s been weeks since my Lord Baffoe-Bonnie, who alone has the power to empanel the courts, has not empanelled the courts. In fact, none of the cases involving my Lady Torkornoo as well as our respected colleague Vincent Assafuah, has received the blessings of the court for purposes of hearing.
“Meanwhile, the time for hearing has long lapsed with AG not filing any process and now seeking the leave of the court belatedly for extension of time.
“Mr Speaker, I dare submit that the man who has been nominated himself is conflicted; he is in conflict.
“How can you, knowing that, that office, the occupant is being denied her human rights, and you are supposed to empanel, you are refusing to empanel, and yet this House should bless you with the benefit of vetting?
“Mr Speaker, we will not support this Business Committee report that says there is going to be vetting of the nominee.
“It is my contention that in view of precedents of this House in respect of matters involving the rule of sub judice, this House cannot be invited to accept the vetting of the nominee for the Office of Chief Justice when indeed, there are pending constitutional matters before the Supreme Court of this Republic and before the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
“It is public knowledge that the learned Attorney-General has so far even refused to file a defense in the matters at the Supreme Court. It was only last week that he filed a motion for leave for extension of time to file.
“Mr Speaker, all these are happening in this country, a country of rule of law, and Parliament will want to shut its eyes on this?
“Mr Speaker in any event, the man empowered with the mandate to empanel the court is himself the very person who has been nominated, and so far, whereas he was in a hurry to empanel the court to hear injunction applications, none of the six cases before the court has been heard,” Osahen Afenyo-Markin pointed out to Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin.
Notwithstanding the Minority Leader’s submissions, the House adopted the Business Committee report, including the vetting of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie today.
Bagbin dismisses motion to delay CJ’s vetting
Meanwhile, Speaker Bagbin has dismissed a motion filed by the Minority Leader seeking to halt the vetting of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie until pending legal cases involving former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo are resolved.
Delivering his ruling on Friday, the Speaker rejected the motion, stating that court proceedings cannot obstruct Parliament’s constitutional responsibilities.
“There is no constitutional or standing order basis for Parliament to hold the process simply because there are pending cases in court,” he stated.
He ruled that allowing such a motion would “set a dangerous precedent.” “Should I accept that argument, it will mean that any litigant could hold Parliament hostage; that is, file a case and freeze the work of Parliament and its committees,” Speaker Bagbin concluded.
