The former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has raised questions about the intentions behind the recent criticism of the government by former Supreme Court judge, Justice William Atuguba.
Allotey Jacobs wonders if the former judge’s outspoken remarks are a means to gain the attention of the NDC’s flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, in hopes of securing the position of his running mate.
“He carved a niche for himself and now that you have gone on retirement, you are wading back into controversy.
“As a former Supreme Court judge, I expect that behind closed doors you and your colleague members also on retirement can meet, I don’t know whether they have an association or organisation where he can point out that this was not done right and that it should have been done another way.
“But now that he has come out, I am compelled to ask if he wants to be a running mate to the leading opposition flagbearer,” Allotey asked.
He continued: “Because now it looks like people are outdoing each other in order to be chosen by the flagbearer as his running mate. This is very controversial. You don’t come out to make these statements.
“You can make it at a lecture to some students so that it becomes speculative but not to come out straight on the issue. So I am worried of the things coming from the academia of late.
“People we respect in this country, people we hold higher in this country are becoming serial callers,” he stated during a discussion on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo.
In a public lecture at the University of Ghana on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, Justice Atuguba raised important issues regarding the administration, the judicial system, and the administration of justice.
“Protecting Ghana’s Democracy: The Role of the Judiciary” was the theme of the lecture.