Leave Chief Justice alone – Anatu Seidu Bogobiri Esq slams NPP over ‘mischievous’ attack

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority, Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri Esq., has risen to the defence of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with his call for Ghanaians to support President John Mahama’s agenda.

Her comment comes after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) criticised the Chief Justice over remarks he made during working visits to state institutions on Wednesday, September 2.

During the visits, the Chief Justice praised the performance of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and other public institutions under the current administration, adding that Mahama’s agenda will benefit Ghana and should be supported to succeed.

He said, “You have done marvelously well. Sometimes when we hear the things that you have done and the things that some organisations are doing now, we wonder what we really have been doing in the past eight years.”

The NPP described the remarks as partisan, calling for his resignation.

However, in a statement, Madam Bogobiri says the attempt to twist a call for nation-building into partisan politics is mischievous and unpatriotic.

According to her, President Mahama is not just an NDC President but President of the Republic, and his success is Ghana’s success. She argued that if his agenda to reset the country, fight corruption, create jobs and stabilise the economy succeeds, every Ghanaian benefits.

She further stated that the Chief Justice did not campaign for the NDC and has a constitutional right as a Ghanaian to hold an opinion on national interest.

“The Chief Justice did not say ‘NDC must win 2028’. He did not say ‘vote for NDC’. He spoke about Ghana. The Constitution guarantees every Ghanaian, including Justices, the right to hold opinions on matters of national interest. Calling for collective support for a national agenda is not partisan politics; it is PATRIOTISM!”

She said the judicial oath requires impartiality on the bench, not silence on national development matters, and accused critics of hypocrisy, noting that similar calls by past Chief Justices did not attract same criticism.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has in recent days visited public institutions including MIIF and SSNIT as part of engagements to strengthen governance.