By Lawrence Odoom.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, has posited a scathing indictment of the judiciary, asserting that it has consistently exhibited a profound and pervasive bias against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the past 32 years.
This ostensible prejudice, Kwakye Ofosu contends, has its roots in the era of former President Jerry John Rawlings and is manifest in the jurisprudential trajectory of court rulings against the party.
Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV, Kwakye Ofosu articulated his conviction that the judiciary’s treatment of cases involving the NDC has often been redolent of partiality, citing a plethora of historical cases, including the rulings on the June 4th and 31st December anniversaries, as well as the legal challenge by J.H. Mensah regarding ministerial vetting, all of which the NDC lost. “The Chief Justice is not at the beck and call of the President. She is the head of an independent institution. However, I have my views, and I don’t think they’ve been fair to the NDC. For 32 years, they have consistently ruled against us,” he argued with alacrity.
Kwakye Ofosu further excoriated the inconsistencies in judicial decisions under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, highlighting instances where cases filed by NPP members were expedited with celerity, while those brought by the NDC faced prolonged delays, tantamount to a form of judicial stultification. “It was possible for Afenyo-Markin to file a case in court and have it heard within twelve hours. Yet, the minority’s case against the passage of the E-Levy has been pending for three years,” he lamented with palpable incredulity.
The Minister also questioned the ease with which Attorney General Godfred Dame replaced a judge in a particular case, while similar requests by NDC-affiliated figures, such as Dr. Stephen Opuni, were denied, a decision that reeked of arbitrariness. Additionally, he highlighted perceived inconsistencies in contempt cases, referencing the difference in treatment between Kennedy Agyapong and the Montie Three, a disparity that smacked of double standards. “A judge who held Kennedy Agyapong in contempt was changed because it was said that the contempt was directed at him. Yet, in the Montie Three case, the same judges who were allegedly disrespected were the ones sitting in judgment,” he remarked with trenchant critique.
Kwakye Ofosu emphasized the need for the NDC to demand fairness from the judiciary and work towards addressing what he described as an institutional bias, a lacuna that had been perpetuated for far too long. “The inconsistency, the unfairness, the imbalance is manifest. That is a position I hold to this day. We need to insist on fairness and balance. While historical reasons may have created an antipathy towards the NDC, justice should not be dispensed based on political perception,” he concluded with unwavering conviction
