The suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo by President John Dramani Mahama, following petitions filed seeking her removal, has sparked debates over its constitutionality and whether such actions have precedence in the country’s history.

This development has raised concerns regarding its potential implications for the country’s democracy and judicial independence.

In light of this, a video has surfaced on the internet showing citizens gathered in large numbers, holding placards and marching through the streets of Accra to celebrate the removal of the country’s first African Chief Justice, Sir Kobina Arku Korsah, from office in 1963 by former President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Some of the inscriptions boldly written on the placards read, ‘We demand real justice,' 'Korsah is a traitor,' 'The party is supreme,' and 'Osagyefo is our redeemer,’ among others.

History records that Korsah’s dismissal as Chief Justice stemmed from a verdict he delivered in a trial involving five individuals indicted in the Kulungugu attack, where the defendants were accused of attempting to assassinate Kwame Nkrumah.

In his judgment at the end of the trial, Korsah pronounced three of the defendants not guilty, a decision that did not sit well with the former president, who subsequently removed him as Chief Justice in an unconstitutional manner.

Watch the video below;

Footage of thousands of people marched through the streets of Accra (1963) in support of President Nkrumah's dismissal of the Chief Justice, Sir Arku Korsah(the first African Chief Justice of Ghana) and in protest against the recent treason trial verdict. pic.twitter.com/2jn1k6XVM4

— GHANA FACTS & HISTORY (@GhanaianMuseum) April 23, 2025