Jean Mensa, Chief Justice Torkornoo will be removed – Mustapha Gbande

Deputy Director of Operations at the Office of the President, Mustapha Gbande, has asserted that the fate of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, and the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, have already been decided.

According to him, the two women will certainly be removed from office, and their exit is only a matter of time, 3news.com reports.

He argued that both the Chief Justice and the EC Chair have demonstrated that they are politically exposed individuals and, therefore, cannot continue to hold such sensitive positions.

Mr Gbande rejected claims that their removal by President John Dramani Mahama would set a bad precedent.

“We haven’t amended our laws. The same law gave President Akufo-Addo the right to remove Charlotte Osei; they are all independent institutions, yet he removed her.

“We have come not just to repeat precedents, but to address each case individually. The Chief Justice will have to go, the EC Chairperson and other politically exposed directors will have to go – and indeed, they will go. It is just a matter of time, so that we can fill those positions with individuals who are not politically exposed,” he stated.

His remarks come in the wake of ongoing controversy surrounding a petition for the removal of Chief Justice Torkornoo.

On 25 March 2025, President Mahama began consultations with the Council of State following the submission of three petitions seeking the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.

According to a statement from the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the petitions were forwarded to the Council of State in accordance with the constitutional procedure outlined in Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.

In a letter dated 27 March 2025, Chief Justice Torkornoo requested copies of the petitions and asked for at least seven days to respond, in line with due process requirements.

Justice Torkornoo submitted her official response to the petitions on Monday, 7 April 2025, within the 10-day deadline set by the President.

According to reportd, her response has since been submitted to President Mahama and the Council of State.

With this step completed, the Council is expected to begin reviewing the matter to determine whether a prima facie case exists to warrant further proceedings.

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