Hot Source….Warns GBA against acting as ‘Wing of Opposition Party’
The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has accused the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) of politically sidelining President John Dramani Mahama in its upcoming annual conference, questioning the association’s impartiality and commitment to fairness.
In a strongly worded statement, Mr Dafeamekpor, a lawyer by profession and a member of the GBA, criticized that while former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was almost always featured as a Special Guest of Honour and keynote speaker at GBA conferences between 2017 and 2024, the current President’s name was conspicuously missing from the 2025 programme.
“I have observed how the GBA organised its annual conference from 2017 to 2024. The then President, Nana Akufo-Addo, was nearly always the Special Guest of Honour and Speaker. That is not the case in 2025. The President is conspicuously missing from the list of advertised speakers at the confab,” he stated on the social media platform X.
Efua Ghartey, the current President of the GBA. She is the wife ofJoe Ghartey, formerly the Member of Parliament (MP) for Essikado-Ketan on the ticket of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr Dafeamekpor expressed particular concern that, instead of inviting President Mahama, the GBA leadership had extended an invitation to the President of the Bar Council of England and Wales, a body which he said recently attacked the Ghanaian government “without provocation,” reference the group’s statement in condemning the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Asaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
“The GBA leadership has rather decided to invite the President of the Bar Council of England and Wales. GBA, kindly add the President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association for effect,” he said in a sarcastic remark.
The Majority Chief Whip accused the GBA of displaying “unalloyed bias” against President Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), suggesting that the association was acting in the interest of the main opposition party.
“Your bias against John Mahama and the NDC government is too glaring to be ignored now. You can continue to act as a wing of the main opposition party to do its bidding we are ready for you,” he declared.
“What is curious,” he wrote in a social media post, “is that the GBA leadership has instead chosen to invite the President of the Bar Council of England and Wales, a group that recently attacked this government without any provocation.”
The Majority Chief Whip suggested that the association should also consider inviting the President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association “for effect.” He accused the GBA of showing “unalloyed bias” against President Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress.
“You can continue to act as a wing of the main opposition party to do its bidding,” Dafeamekpor added. “We are ready for you.”
The GBA has not yet responded to the allegations.
However, this is not the first time that Mr Dafeamekpor, has berated the GBA. Following reports that the association passed a resolution calling on President Mahama to revoke the suspension of Chief Justice Torkornoo, the MP went to town on the Association.
In a post shared on social media on Sunday, April 27, 2025, Dafeamekpor, a lawyer himself, stated that the resolution, if indeed true, constitutes contempt of the Supreme Court’s power.
He pointed out that the action of the GBA also amounts to an interference with the functions of the judiciary and a violation of the code of conduct for lawyers in Ghana.
“Our very own Code of Conduct, the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct & Etiquette) Rules, 2020, LI 2423, forbids any lawyer or leaders of any lawyers’ grouping from running any such unguarded commentaries or making such unprofessional public demands on a live case. Indeed, Regulation 89(c) of LI 2423, 2020 states as follows: ‘a lawyer commits professional misconduct where the lawyer engages in a conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice’.
“The above provision forbids any member of the Bar or its leaders from upending the rights of one party in a case against the other part (ies). What the GBA leadership is engaged in is a front to the administration of justice and has the propensity to torpedo the independence of the judiciary they ostensibly seek to protect, the Majority Chief Whip of Parliament wrote.
He asserted that the resolution was politically motivated, urging President Mahama to ignore it if it is indeed brought before him.
“This reported call by the GBA is very partisan & prejudicial as it affects a matter sub judice.
“The GBA leadership, like Caesar’s wife, must live above reproach. I urge His Excellency, the President, to ignore this illicit public call by the GBA leadership as if same was never made, for it is a wrong call. It is better for a law to be wrong than for a wrong to be law,” his post concluded.
The GBA has reportedly passed a resolution to call on President Mahama to revoke the suspension of Chief Justice Torkornoo.
According to a report by thelawplatform. online, the resolution was passed at the GBA’s Mid-Year Conference held at Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on April 26, 2025.
The report indicated that members of the Bar were displeased with the suspension of the Chief Justice after getting details of the three petitions for her removal.
They were also not happy with the determination of a prima facie case in the three petitions filed for Justice Torkornoo’s removal by President Mahama and the Council of State.
The members of the GBA also expressed their displeasure with the association’s leadership over a statement issued regarding the ongoing process for removing the Chief Justice.
They indicated that they were not happy with the import and tone of the statement, which was dated April 24, 2025.
The GBA also indicated that it would present a petition challenging the removal of the Chief Justice.
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