Ama Governor, a young law graduate from the University of Ghana, has been embroiled in a controversy that has made her question the fairness and integrity of Ghana’s legal system.
Ama Governor, whose real name is Elorm Ama Ababio, was denied the call to the Ghana Bar in November 2022, despite completing the law programme, passing her exams and acing her interview session.
She was accused of displaying “conduct unbecoming of an applicant to be called to the Bar” in some of her posts on social media. The petitioner also alleged hat Ama broke some rules in the Ghana School of law code of conduct.
This decision raised questions about the nature and extent of her social media content that could have led to such a consequence. Ama to a large extent refrained from discussing the matter openly until now.
In a series of tweets in response to Chief Justice TorKornoo’s stance on proper conduct in the legal sphere, Ama recounted her experience in 2022 and said she started studying law at the age of 18.
Soon after that, she discovered the world of YouTube and other social media platforms, which she used to document her journey through law school and share her thoughts on important social issues.
She explained the type of content she hosted on her channel.
According to Ama, she boldly tackled conversations that centred on body autonomy, feminism, body positivity, queerness, women’s sexual reproductive health, self-worth, confidence and women’s sexual liberation through her content.
She passionately believed that expressing her ideas and experiences could inspire others and contribute positively to society.
However, her world turned upside down on 6 November 2022, just days before she was set to be called to the bar.
A petitioner who can only be identified as “a concerned citizen of the Republic of Ghana” had petitioned the General Legal Council, claiming that Ama was unfit to be a lawyer based solely on their belief. This petition led to the suspension of her call to the bar, leaving her devastated and confused.
The petitioner cited three grounds for their belief that Ama should not be called to the bar. Two of these grounds according to Ama, were based on complete fabrications, as they were refuted by the very videos the petitioner relied upon as evidence.
One false claim was about a video Ama had made with her classmates to showcase the law school experience. The petitioner, according to Ama also twisted innocent scenes of law students having fun into an attack on the school’s reputation.
Another false claim was about Ama wearing nose rings to school, which was not against any school rules and, in fact, Ama had complied with expectations during law school. The third ground, while accurate, was about Ama’s queerness and her relationships with women, which her legal team argued should not be a reason to deny her call to the bar.
In the first hearing, the frivolous petition was quickly dismissed within 15 minutes, as the committee found it baseless and unsupported. Despite this clear outcome, Ama’s name continued to be dragged through the mud, tarnishing her image and causing her unnecessary distress.
Ama is now demanding answers. She wonders if expressing her thoughts and experiences on social media was her crime, and if someone should have warned her at 18 that this innocent act could be held against her six years later. She raises concerns about her constitutional rights being disregarded, as she was not convicted of any criminal offence, and yet her call to the bar was suspended without proper justification.
Meanwhile, Ama feels that her character and reputation are still under attack. She questions why she continues to be allegedly used as a negative example in law classes and feels hurt by the unjust labelling of her as immoral and unfit.
She firmly believes that her content on the internet is something she can boldly account for, and she passionately argues that she is deserving of being called to the bar.