Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has said the party do not need Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to comment for them.
Mustapha Gbande explained that the NDC has its own structures and officials responsible for communicating the government’s policies and achievements and therefore has no reason to rely on the Chief Justice to advance its political interests.
He further highlighted that the Chief Justice is not NDC, adding that he doesn’t know him to be NDC.
Gbande, however, maintained that holding the highest judicial office does not strip Justice Baffoe-Bonnie of his identity as a Ghanaian citizen or prevent him from sharing views based on his personal experiences.
Speaking on Joy FM on September 3, 2026, Mustapha Gbande stated, “The Chief Justice is not NDC. I don’t know him. I don’t know him to be NDC. The NDC does not need a Chief Justice to comment for us”.
“Every citizen must also speak on their own experience as far as governance is concerned. And the Chief Justice is a citizen of Ghana,” he stated.
Mustapha Gbande further dismissed the suggestion that the Chief Justice’s commentaries amounted to misconduct serious enough to warrant his resignation.
“I don’t think the Chief Justice should resign. I don’t know him. I don’t know his opinion. I don’t think that this is a comment that calls for anybody’s resignation,” he stressed.
“For me, I don’t find anything wrong with the comment of the Chief Justice. And I don’t think that it is strange,” he added.
Meanwhile, angry Ghanaians on social media have descended heavily on the Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie over his recent remarks.
According to netizens, the Chief Justice’s comments amount to an endorsement of the current government while serving as a rebuke of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
Others also wonder whether he had begun campaigning for the NDC, suggesting that his remarks blurred the line between judicial independence and partisan politics.
One user wrote: “Your office is not a campaign platform. You are not an NDC spokesperson. You are the head of an independent judiciary that is supposed to stand above the political fray. When you start scoring the previous administration while touring state institutions under the current one, you erode the very confidence you claim to protect. Smh.”
“The arm of government that is supposed to ‘check and balance’ the executive arm is rather bootlicking the executive arm. The CJ has tarnished the image of that office. In a serious country, he will resign and go home,” another user wrote.
“I think this dude is an NDC man through and through,” another X user claimed.
One other user questioned: “And they wanted Ken Ofori Atta to come and face ‘justice’. Whoever advised him not to come should be paid quadruple. Any future govt should strip off his retirement benefits. Backstabber.”
A netizen added, “Ghanaians did not appoint you to grade governments. They expect you to deliver justice without fear or favour, not to validate one side’s narrative. If state organisations are performing better now, say so without the political dig. If you must reflect on the past, do it without sounding like a party activist.
This kind of language from the Chief Justice damages the judiciary more than any criticism from outside ever could. Stay in your lane. A very sad day for Mother Ghana… a whole CJ….,” one other user noted.
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