Leave it for the foot soldiers – Sammy Gyamfi scolds Chief Justice for praising Akufo-Addo

The National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has criticized Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, for praising President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the most distinguished legal practitioner.

According to Sammy Gyamfi, the president himself would disagree with that assertion.

In an X post, he stated, "President @NAkufoAddo himself will disagree with this contrived testimony coming from the CJ. Sycophantic comments like this should ordinarily be reserved for party footsoldiers. Comic relief, I guess. Living example of what? Apuuu!!!"

Torkornoo described Akufo-Addo as Ghana's foremost lawyer.

According to her, Akufo-Addo, in his days as a lawyer and now as president, has been a champion of justice, adding that he has also actively supported the judiciary since becoming president.

"We appreciate the strong support we have received from the Office of the President. The culmination of this support is the presence of His Excellency with us this morning," she said in remarks at the opening of a conference in Accra on May 13.

The event was the inauguration of the 2024 Africa Conference of the International Association of Women Judges.

The conference, themed "The Role of Women Judges in Combating Negative Cultural Practices in Contemporary Times," provided a forum for discussing crucial issues of gender equality and judicial activism.

"His Excellency is a lawyer and champion of justice, and his name is definitively etched in the legal history of this country as the most distinguished legal practitioner.

"His belief in the rule of law has been evident during his tenure as president, and the Judicial Service of Ghana has been a beneficiary of the exceptional level of physical and technological infrastructure during this period," the CJ added.

The current CJ is the third since President Akufo-Addo came into office.

The first appointee to the role was Sophia Akuffo, then Kwasi Anin Yeboah, before the coming into office of Torkornoo in 2023.

In his remarks, Akufo-Addo spoke about his contributions to the judiciary in terms of infrastructure.

"Since taking office in 2017, my administration has made significant strides in providing court infrastructure and residential facilities for judges nationwide, achieving notable progress in this area," he said.

President @NAkufoAddo himself will disagree with this contrived testimony coming from the CJ. Sycophantic comments like this should ordinarily be reserved for party footsoldiers. Comic relief I guess.

Living example of what? Apuuu!!! pic.twitter.com/5kkPfKlTFC

— Sammy Gyamfi (@SammyGyamfi_) May 13, 2024