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Opinions of Friday, 2 June 2023

Columnist: Dr. John-Baptist Naah

Why can’t the next President also disappoint the current Auditor-General who was unconstitutionally appointed by Nana Akufo-Addo?

Dr. John-Baptist Naah is the author Dr. John-Baptist Naah is the author

The Unconstitutionality committed by the Lawyer President, Nana Akufo-Addo to remove the former Auditor-General, Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo, is indeed worrying. You will get a full sense of what I want to put across in this short piece of mine as you read it to the end.

In as much as the CSOs have done a marvelous job by taking the coerced removal of Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo by President Akufo-Addo to the Apex Court and the final verdict given in favor of the victim, the President’s action was indeed retrogressive and not democracy-friendly in my opinion.

It was apparent that Mr. Domelevo was haunted out of office by this government because of his sustained energy to help fight corruption by holding the then Senior Minister in particular, Hon. Yaw Asafo-Marfo to account in the case of Kroll and Associates and surcharged him $1 million, leading the legal tussle between the two of them.

As Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo himself put it, if you endeavor to fight corruption, corruption will seriously fight you back. Mr. Domelevo did his part as a proud citizen and his decisions and actions are commendable.

The coerced removal of the former Auditor-General clearly portrays that constitutionally independent institutions have been further weakened under this government. President Obama once rightly said that WE NEED STRONG INSTITUTIONS BUT NOT STRONG MEN TO GOVERN NATIONS, which I completely agree.

When constitutionally independent institutions are allowed to perform their rightful functions in our nation, we stand a better chance to develop and succeed together.
The tendency of this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime to politicize critically vital institutions, in such a radical manner, has been increasing over the past few years.

A classic example under this government is the removal of the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Madam Charlotte Osei, and replacing her with the current Madam Jean Mensah and one of the deputy directors like Dr. Bossman Asare.

Additionally, the President currently appointed three other members to the EC governing board who are deemed NPP-coloured, especially Dr. Peter Appiahene, and nothing is done about it by the appointer.

For such a politically sensitive independent body to be filled with largely NPP-friendly persons is a recipe for a complete loss of trust in the EC and can lead to serious misunderstanding and unrest in the upcoming elections, if care is not taken.

My simple question ‘Why can’t the next President also disappoint the current Auditor General who was unconstitutionally appointed by Nana Akufo-Addo?’ has a basis. If Ghanaians keep quiet for President Akufo-Addo to act with impunity and alter independent bodies with his cronies, we should not blame a future President who will want to equally replace the current Auditor-General and the like.

Two wrongs never make it right, I understand. However, why fault any next government that wants to RIGHT the WRONGS committed by this current regime?

Those VOICES that were so vocally loud in the erstwhile NDC government should equally be heard now for the rest of President Akufo-Addo’s term or be silent for good for obvious reasons.

That being said, it is our desire for the next government after this Akufo-Addo-led regime seriously considers this Supreme Court ruling and acts appropriately at all material times.

We are building our young democracy and all hands should be on deck to ensure that ‘nation wreckers’ are called out and booted out democratically at the ballot boots.

It is regrettable indeed that unconstitutional actions are encouraged and taken under the current President who is touted to be a human rights Lawyer and a seasoned politician.

As the saying goes, coming events cast their shadows before the main events themselves. There is a need for Ghanaian electorates to make this uninspiring Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime and for that matter, the NPP Party pay a heavy price for their failed promises come 2024.