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Parliament approves all 4 Supreme Court nominees
Parliament has unanimously affirmed the nomination of four persons to the Supreme Court as Justices.
The four, Clemence Jackson Honyenuga and Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu, Court of Appeal Judges, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, private legal practitioner and Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, last week endured an average of three hours of vetting at the Joseph Osei-Owusu chaired Appointments Committee where their suitability to the apex court was scrutinised.
Presenting the 26th report of the Appointments Committee to the plenary of Parliament via a motion in Accra yesterday, Mr Osei-Owusu, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, said the nominees have demonstrated that they merited the nomination.
“The Committee is satisfied that the nominees have exhibited character, competence, independent thinking and depth of knowledge of the law,” Mr Osei-Owusu, Member for Bekwai told the House.
The nominees, he said, assured the committee of their will to be above partisanship and interpret the law without fear or favour in the discharge of their duties.
The nominees further demonstrated to the committee that the Constitution being a living document would not be interpreted with their biases and that the spirit and letter of the law will prevail for the good of the citizenry, he reported.
“No evidence of corruption, incompetence or bias in the performance of the respective roles in the legal profession was brought before the Committee.
“The committee accordingly finds the nominees suitable to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Ghana,” he urged the House.
Seconding the motion, the Minority Leader and Ranking Member on the Committee, Haruna Iddrisu, described Prof. Mensah-Bonsu, as “brilliant at law” and someone who has demonstrated “wit and will” and contributed immensely to the criminal jurisprudence of the country.
He recounted Prof. Mensah-Bonsu’s service to the country dating from the National Reconciliation Commission to her most recent service to mother Ghana in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Commission which probed the gun violence that marred the January 31, 2019 by-election.
Calling on persons in public service to, at all times, uphold ethical standards in their work, Mr Iddrisu said nobody should hold anything against Justice Honyenuga after apologising at the committee for openly declaring support for President Akufo-Addo’s second term bid.
On Mr Kulendi, the Tamale South MP said the nominee has endeared himself to many in private legal practice, and “we, therefore, recommend his approval as a Justice of the Supreme Court.”
For Abuakwa South MP and Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, the quality of the nominees would go a long way to enhance justice delivery in the country.
North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, commended the nominees and advocated that they were given the freedom to espouse their personal beliefs in matters regarding gay rights, freedom of religion and human rights without such philosophies being held against them when they became justices of the Supreme Court.
Outlining the criteria for the selection of Supreme Court justices as codified in Article 128(4) of the 1992 Constitution, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu urged Parliament to be careful in using other yardstick in assessing the suitability or otherwise of a candidate to the apex court.
He was happy that after some misunderstanding which threatened the unanimous approval of Justice Honyenuga, the committee had come to a consensus that character, competence, independence of thought and depth of the knowledge of law should be the marking scheme for the nominees.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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