The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament has filed a motion seeking to halt the proceedings on the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice.
According to the minority motion, all pending legal cases concerning the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo must be resolved first.
The minority in the motion cited Articles 110(1), 125–127, 144(1) and 146 of the 1992 Constitution and relevant Standing Orders.
They called on Parliament to suspend the Appointments Committee’s vetting and plenary debate or approval processes.
The minority motion noted multiple ongoing cases, including an ECOWAS Court suit (No. ECW/CCJ/APP/32/25) and other applications before the Supreme Court and High Court.
In their motion, they further requested that Dr Dominic Ayine, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to appear before Parliament to provide a comprehensive briefing.
Also, they are seeking clarification on Ghana’s obligations under regional treaties relevant to the ECOWAS Court proceedings.
Meanwhile, before the minority motion, Parliament’s Appointments Committee had earlier announced Monday, November 10, 2025, to vet Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for the position of Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana.
The official notice revealed the session will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Committee Rooms 1, 2, and 3 at the New Administration Block.
The news comes after Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has officially referred the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice to Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
Additionally, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader, has confirmed that the minority in parliament will be part of the highly anticipated parliamentary vetting of President John Dramani Mahama’s Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
According to Afenyo-Markin, all their cards are on the table, and they are not going to boycott Baffoe Bonnie vetting.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews, Afenyo-Markin stated, “All our cards are on the table. Boycotting is out. Anybody who is expecting us to boycott, I say here and now, we will never boycott it. We will do what is right. All our cards are on the table. We’ll get there”.
He confirmed the minority’s commitment to their legislative duties under Article 144(1) of the Constitution.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, however, insisted, “He [Baffoe-Bonnie] himself must know that there is a Chief Justice. He himself must know. Yes, he knows he’s acting, and he knows that there’s a substantive Chief Justice”.
“The woman has a case before you challenging the processes. You’ve refused to empanel the court. You know that you are to empanel. If you want to rule, empanel the court, determine the matter and then bring a finality, then we can talk”, he challenged.
Meanwhile, Gertrude Torkornoo, the former Chief Justice, has run to court, filing a legal challenge to halt the vetting and appointment of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Ghana’s next Chief Justice.
The former Chief Justice, in her suit filed at the High Court, seeks to nullify all actions taken by the Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang Committee, which was established to investigate petitions leading to her removal.
Gertrude Torkornoo is asking the court to declare the committee’s proceedings invalid and to nullify the Presidential Warrant that affected her removal from office.
According to a report, her application was filed through her lawyer, Kwabena Adu-Kusi, on Thursday, October 16, 2025, submitted two reports to support her legal challenge.