You sounded like an NDC official – Arthur Kennedy criticises Chief Justice over SOE comments

Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy, a political activist and physician, has expressed disapproval of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie's statements made during a visit to state-owned enterprises. Dr. Kennedy argues that the Chief Justice's comments, which seemed to blend political commentary with his role as the head of Ghana's Judiciary, were inappropriate.

He claims the Chief Justice appeared to stray into political territory when he praised the performance of state-owned enterprises and questioned what Ghana had been doing over the past eight years.

During a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2, the Chief Justice expressed his admiration for the institution's achievements and the performance of other public entities. He stated, "I must congratulate you. I mean, you have done marvellously well. See, because sometimes when we hear the things that you have done, the things that some organisations are doing now, we wonder; some of us keep wondering what really we have been doing in the past eight years."

Further reinforcing his positive impression, the Chief Justice also visited the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) earlier that day. He commented on the progress he heard about at SSNIT, saying, "We’ve just come back from SSNIT, we went to SSNIT this morning, and the kind of things that we heard, and we hear, we even heard before we went there, what we were told, if you compare that to the fact that not too long ago, SSNIT was preparing to sell its prized assets like Labadi Beach Hotel, you wonder how Ghana could have sunk so low."

Reacting to these remarks, Dr. Kennedy questioned the Chief Justice's decision to tour state-owned enterprises and publicly evaluate their performance. He asserted that the Chief Justice's actions risked giving the impression that he was adopting a political stance. Dr. Kennedy stated, "Sir, indeed you sounded like an NDC official."

He argued that the Chief Justice should instead concentrate on addressing issues within the Judiciary and areas where the institution could improve. "Sir, if you are looking for things to do, there are a lot of things you can improve in our Judiciary," Dr. Kennedy added.

The criticism surrounding the Chief Justice's comments has ignited a political debate, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) calling for his resignation. They accuse him of making partisan political comments and question his neutrality as head of the Judiciary. However, the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected these demands, with NDC Deputy General Secretary Mustapha Gbande arguing that the Chief Justice has neither shown allegiance to the party nor made comments that warrant his removal.

The controversy primarily revolves around the Chief Justice's reference to "the past eight years" and his comparison of the performance of certain state institutions with their previous states.