“NDC Also Attacked Judges in Opposition” – Nana Obiri Boahen Defends Calls for Fairness in Abronye Case
By Maurice Otoo
Private legal practitioner Nana Obiri Boahen has sparked fresh debate over comments made by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin about the ongoing court case involving Kwame Baffoe Abronye.
Speaking on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Nana Obiri Boahen said Ghana’s political atmosphere has become poisoned by bitterness, insisting that both the ruling and opposition parties have, at different times, attacked the judiciary and state institutions.
According to him, members of the National Democratic Congress openly criticized judges and questioned the courts’ credibility while in opposition.
“We have created bitterness in our political space. Didn’t NDC bastardize the judiciary, call them unanimous FC, and allege that Justice Torkonoo was an NPP person?” he asked.
He also cited government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Communications Minister Sam George as politicians who had previously criticized judges and public institutions.
Although he distanced himself from Afenyo-Markin’s remarks, Nana Obiri Boahen maintained that the public must apply fairness when judging political commentary.
“I am not conforming with Afenyo Markin’s comments, but when such issues crop up, we should question what happened yesterday,” he stressed.
The lawyer also questioned aspects of the judicial process involving Abronye, arguing that if a judge personally initiated a complaint and later presided over the same matter, it could violate principles of natural justice.
“If the judge reported Abronye to the police and later summoned him before his own court, then the whole process would be wrong before the law,” he argued, referencing the legal principle of nemo judex in causa sua — meaning no one should be a judge in their own cause.
He cited the Republic versus Kennedy Ohene Agyapong case to support his argument on judicial impartiality.
Nana Obiri Boahen added that if the Cyber Security Monitoring Unit independently carried out the arrest, common sense and natural justice should still have prevented the accused from appearing before the same judge linked to the complaint.
His comments have since reignited public discussion over political attacks on the judiciary, judicial neutrality, and fairness in Ghana’s justice system.
Speaking on the matter during a Zoom interview on Kessben Maakye’s show in Accra, Nana Obiri Boahen said Ghana’s political atmosphere has become poisoned by bitterness, insisting that both the ruling and opposition parties have, at different times, attacked the judiciary and state institutions.
According to him, members of the National Democratic Congress openly criticized judges and questioned the courts’ credibility while in opposition.
“We have created bitterness in our political space. Didn’t NDC bastardize the judiciary, call them unanimous FC, and allege that Justice Torkonoo was an NPP person?” he questioned.
He further mentioned government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Communications Minister Sam George as politicians who had previously criticized judges and public institutions.
Although he distanced himself from Afenyo-Markin’s remarks, Nana Obiri Boahen maintained that the public must apply fairness when judging political commentary.
“I am not conforming with Afenyo Markin’s comments, but when such issues crop up, we should question what happened yesterday,” he stressed. My
The lawyer also questioned aspects of the judicial process involving Abronye, arguing that if a judge personally initiated a complaint and later presided over the same matter, it could violate principles of natural justice.
“If the judge reported Abronye to the police and later summoned him before his own court, then the whole process would be wrong before the law,” he argued, referencing the legal principle of nemo judex in causa sua — meaning no one should be a judge in their own cause.
He cited the Republic versus Kennedy Ohene Agyapong case to support his argument on judicial impartiality.
Nana Obiri Boahen added that if the Cyber Security Monitoring Unit independently carried out the arrest, then common sense and natural justice should still have prevented the accused from appearing before the same judge linked to the complaint.
His comments have since reignited public discussion over political attacks on the judiciary, judicial neutrality, and fairness in Ghana’s justice system.
