Ghana: Supreme Court Controversy - Bishops Call for Greater Caution, Not Resignation

What the report says

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has urged the country’s Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, to be more careful in public remarks after comments he made on Sept. 2, 2026 drew political criticism. According to the AllAfrica-distributed Fides report, the controversy began during working visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and the Minerals Income Investment Fund, when the chief justice referred to the “last eight years,” a phrase that some in Ghana’s political debate interpreted as a comparison between the current government and its predecessor.

In a statement signed Sept. 6 by conference president Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the bishops said the judiciary must not only be impartial but also be seen as impartial. They argued that the head of the court should remain above partisan struggles and avoid public conduct that could create reasonable doubts about neutrality.

At the same time, the bishops rejected demands for Baffoe-Bonnie’s resignation, describing those calls as excessive based on the remarks alone. They said the same standard of restraint should apply to all public officials, regardless of which party governs.

The statement reflects broader concerns in Ghana, where the credibility of the judiciary is closely tied to public confidence in democratic institutions. The bishops said they were praying for the judiciary and for national leaders to serve truth, justice and unity.