Ayine criticizes GBA over ‘inconsistent’ advocacy

Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine has accused the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) of inconsistent advocacy, warning that its shifting positions risk undermining the credibility of the legal profession.

Speaking at the 2025/2026 Annual General Conference of the GBA, Dr. Ayine stressed the need for consistency in defending the constitution.

“We risk undermining the foundation of our professional credibility. We must remember that our allegiance is first of all to the Constitution and this republic. Our authority as a profession depends on public confidence that we stand above the fray of narrow partisanship,” he said.

He acknowledged the association’s role in shaping Ghana’s constitutional order. “The Ghana Bar Association has played a crucial role in assisting the Supreme Court in interpreting the constitution in the last three decades. That legacy is clear and undisputed,” he noted.

“But outside the courtroom, the advocacy of the Bar as a professional group has lacked consistency, bringing into question its adherence to principle.”

Dr. Ayine cited examples of silence in earlier cases. “We all recall the removal of the former Electoral Commission Chair, Charlotte Osei, and the former Head of CHRAJ. In those moments, the Bar Association saw nothing and chose not to speak up,” he pointed out.

He contrasted that with its stance in recent times. “But in recent times, the Bar found its voice when petitions, based on the same constitutionally defined procedures, were in respect of the removal of the former Chief Justice, Mrs. Gertrude Araba Torkonoo. Ladies and Gentlemen, the honest question we have to ask ourselves is, what changed?” he asked.

Dr. Ayine urged his fellow lawyers to put principle above politics regardless of which side they found themselves.

“Let us be the conscience of the republic, fearless when governments overreach, impartial when opposition agitates, and faithful to the people under the constitution,” he underscored.