A former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has taken a swipe at the Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, over comments he made regarding the former Chief Justice.
Afenyo-Markin, in an interview on JoyNews on October 27, 2025, came to the defense of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo for her judgment in the case where he asked the Supreme Court to overturn the declaration of four vacant seats in Parliament by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.
He asserted that the former Chief Justice acted in the interest of the constitution.
“What did she do wrong in the Afenyo-Markin case? A constitutional matter of that urgent nature had been occasioned by a pronouncement by the Speaker, government business had been stalled, and you don’t think that a constitutional court had the bona fide responsibility in that circumstance to consider and determine the matter?” he quizzed.
He added, “I’m surprised. Why those arguments? People trivialise everything. In any event, what was her interest in the Afenyo-Markin case against the Speaker? What was Torkornoo’s interest? The Chief Justice, what was her interest? Did she have any interest personal to her other than the constitution? Let’s be fair.”
However, in response to his remarks, Ansa-Asare asserted that Afenyo-Markin was twisting the truth, arguing that Torkornoo acted in ways that appeared to support the former NPP government.
He indicated that Torkornoo’s interest at the time was to protect the former government and keep it in power.
Speaking on the KSM show on November 2, 2025, he said, “I think that the Honorable Afenyo-Markin was being economical with the truth, to say the least. First of all, I believe he misrepresented the factual situation, asking what the interest of the former Chief Justice was at the time. He’s now giving Ghanaians what actually was her interest at the time; to protect the government in power.
“That is what she’s demonstrating now, to keep the NPP government in power. I don’t think that she’s doing any credit to herself. The picture out there now is that she’s been a yo-yo and being used by the NPP to attempt to keep the wheels of governance grinding. Let the wheels of governance grind to a halt, and then what will happen, and then maybe she will be a beneficiary. Who knows?”
Ansa-Asare criticised Torkornoo for her actions, suggesting political motives and bias.
He particularly highlighted the speed with which the former CJ empaneled judges at the Supreme Court to hear the Afenyo-Markin case.
According to him, there was no urgency in the case that justified the speed with which the judgment was delivered and the justices empaneled.
“The Supreme Court will never do that because it would have been unthinkable before then for the Supreme Court of Ghana to be empaneled. What was the urgency about that matter that a motion, which was ex parte, was thrust onto the judicial desk, and within a very short time, five justices had been composed to deal with the matter expeditiously? If the Honorable Afenyo-Markin describes that as expediency, then I’m afraid we have a long way to go,” he added.
On the suits filed by Torkornoo, Ansa-Asare expressed the view that she must be ignored by the president, stating that the office of the Chief Justice is a public office and not an individual’s property.
“I think she must be ignored. The president must ignore her. She’s treating the Office of Chief Justice as though it were her personal property. Let her put it in her handbag and walk along with it. That’s all,” he stated.
