Sophia Akuffo endorsed Free SHS, so why attack Baffoe-Bonnie? – NHIA DCEO slams NPP

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri, has defended Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie against criticism over his recent comments in support of President John Dramani Mahama’s development agenda.

According to Bogobiri, the criticism amounts to a double standard, arguing that former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo made similar comments in support of a major government policy under the previous administration without facing accusations of partisanship.

In a statement on Friday, September 4, 2026, Madam Bogobiri cited Akuffo’s endorsement of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy in 2018 as an example of a Chief Justice publicly supporting a government initiative in the national interest.

At the 181st Speech and Prize-giving Day of Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast in March 2018, then Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo commended the government for implementing the Free SHS programme and called on stakeholders to support its success.

Mad. Bogobiri quoted her as saying, “While commending government for the brave step in implementing Free SHS, she said it calls for periodic fine-tuning and called on teachers, administrators, parents and guardians to give their wholehearted support as vital partners for its survival and sustenance.”

She argued that if Justice Akuffo’s comments were considered nation-building, Baffoe-Bonnie’s call for support for the current government’s development agenda should not be treated differently.

The controversy follows remarks by Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie during a recent engagement with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), where he urged its management to work towards the success of President Mahama’s agenda.

“If the old man has decided that you are the right person to be in this position out of the 30 million people, it means he has a lot of confidence in you. And so we should do everything to make sure that his agenda succeeds,” he said.

The comments have sparked debate over the extent to which the head of the Judiciary can publicly comment on government policies and programmes without compromising perceptions of judicial neutrality.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the remarks and questioned the Chief Justice’s neutrality, arguing that his primary allegiance should be to the Constitution rather than the President.

Mad. Bogobiri, however, rejected the criticism, describing the attacks on Baffoe-Bonnie as “hypocritical and historically dishonest”.

She maintained that expressing support for a national development agenda should not automatically be equated with partisan politics.

“If it was nation-building when Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo called for support for Free SHS, then it is also nation-building when Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie calls for support for President Mahama’s reset agenda that seeks to benefit all Ghanaians,” she said.

“The standard must be the same. The President’s success is Ghana’s success. Ghana first.”