Dennis Miracles Aboagye: Minority’s objection to Supreme Court nominees was politically motivated

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Director of Communications for the 2024 Bawumia Campaign Team, has asserted that the Minority’s resistance to the approval of seven newly appointed Supreme Court justices stemmed not from doubts about the nominees’ qualifications, but from what he described as the political intent behind President John Dramani Mahama’s nominations.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, June 25, Aboagye argued that President Mahama’s earlier remarks about “rebalancing” the judiciary had triggered political suspicion and controversy surrounding the appointments.

“The Minority objected to the approval not because they had problems with the noble judges, but because of the utterances, intention, and premeditation that the President came into office with,” he said.

He referenced past statements by President Mahama suggesting that the judiciary was politically skewed and needed to be corrected. According to Aboagye, such comments sowed public doubt even before the nominations were made.

“You come and tell the country that in your view, you think the court is packed with political people, so your party people should be ready. When you come, you are going to balance a bench and elevate it to the bench,” he recounted.

While acknowledging the competence of the nominees, Aboagye maintained that the political context surrounding their selection had fueled the Minority’s opposition.

“Immediately you come, you appoint seven. I may not have any problem with it, but I am clear in my mind that the seven you appointed may not be true, but are NDC people. That is because you set the tone,” he added.

Despite the Minority’s objections, Parliament approved all seven nominees following a heated plenary session and a voice vote, with the Majority side endorsing the Appointments Committee’s report.

The Minority had raised constitutional concerns, particularly in light of the suspension of the Chief Justice. They also questioned the timing of the appointments and criticised the Supreme Court’s handling of certain politically sensitive cases.