Appointment of judges: Mahama’s interest is parochial – Salam Mustapha

The National Youth Organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha has argued that former President John Mahama’s promise to appoint judges affiliated with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) if he becomes President to “balance” the appointment of judges by President Akufo-Addo means that his (John Mahama) interest is parochial and not in the national interest.

Mr Mustapha also decried John Mahama’s criticism of state institutions, describing it as “bastardization”. He wondered what John Mahama’s motive is in running down institutions that he intends to superintend over if he became President again.

“The same person who wants to be President is bastardizing the entire system. So all of a sudden, in the unlikely event John Dramani Mahama becomes President again, all of these state institutions are going to somersault 360? Just because he wants to become President. Who among these people is he going to remove?

To tell your people that when we come to power, we will balance it clearly tells that your interest is carnal, parochial. And you do not have any interest in the state at heart. And that all that you’re coming to do is to serve a certain parochial interest,” he said on TV 3’s New Day programme Monday.

Former President John Mahama had, in an address to lawyers belonging to the NDC, accused President Akufo-Addo of packing the Judiciary with NPP-inclined judges, urging the lawyers to take up careers in the bench and prepare to be appointed as judges to balance the appointments by President Akufo-Addo.