Council of State: Must be scrapped

Per Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana; when the President received such a Petition for the removal of a Chief Justice, he shall refer it to the Chairman of the Council of State…

An Article 146 Petition for the removal of Justice Sophia Akuffo dated 14th February, 2018 which was delivered to the President on 21st February, 2018 was ignored for two (2) years with the support of the Council of State until Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo retired after attaining the compulsory retiring age of Seventy (70) years…

The Council of State over the period ignored several letters, petitions, press releases and personal requests on the status of the Article 146 Petition for the removal of Justice Sophia Akuffo for stated misbehaviour including alleged Land Looting, until their 4th February, 2020 letter stating that the petition is moot as the Chief Justice has retired.

Interestingly, the Legal, Constitutional Affairs & Petitions Committee of the Councillor of State which wrote the letter included Former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Woode who herself had been a subject of a similar Article 146 Petition over her role in the International Students Hostel Land Looting.

The Sophia Akuffo Article 146 Petition had an appendix of a long list of Land Looters including Former Justice Georgina Theodora Woode and Former Inspector General of Police P. K. Acheampong, Former Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon.  Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes and other very high profile personalities and organisations…

The Chairman of the Council of State had been aware of the request for the status of the Sophia Akuffo Article 146 Petition, if he had been written by the President in respect of the Article 146 Petition as required by the Constitution, for more than a year before her retirement rendering the Petition moot.

My last letter to the Council of State dated 20th December, 2019 requested the Council of State to also take a special interest in the National Cathedral issues and advice the President to stop the wastage, illegal and unconstitutional acts; yet no reference was made to the Cathedral in their 4th February, 2020 response and the Council of State has conveniently ignored the Cathedral matter since.

The current controversy, waste of Public Funds, demolition of buildings and Accountability challenges of the Cathedral can be blamed on the quality or no advice given to the President.

The relevance of the Council of State has been questioned and the wasting of tax payers money on the Members of the Council of State has been a great concern to many Ghanaians who believe it must be scrapped.

I join the call for the scrapping and surcharge of the Members of the Council of State together with the President on the Cathedral…

The chairman of the Council of State must confirm when he received the copy of the Justice Sophia Akuffo Article 146 Petition; if it was indeed referred to the Council of State as required by the Constitution, and what the Council of State did with the Petition for the removal of Justice Sophia Akuffo as Chief Justice.

Ghanaians are resolved to be Citizens and not Spectators.

Recall, Kweku Baako confirmed on Metro TV Good Morning Ghana and Joy Newsfile that indeed President Akufo-Addo received the Article 146 Petition for the removal of Justice Sophia Akuffo on 21st February, 2018 yet refused to act on the Petition like the Conveyor Belt they claimed he was in such Article 146 Petition cases as he did in the Charlotte Osei 146 Petition.

SOME GHANAIANS ARE MORE GHANAIAN THAN OTHERS POLICY:

My request to the Council of State to confirm receipt of the constitutional correspondence on the Sophia Akuffo Article 146 Petition and its status was ignored till Sophia Akuffo retired; yet Paul Adom Ochere makes a request to the same Council of State and they scramble within 24hours to provide him with the information…

#StopLandLooters

#FixTheCountry

#SavePublicPurse

By Prince-Derek Adjei