Richard Ahiagbah, the Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has told President John Dramani Mahama he has become a Supreme leader.
Mr Ahiagbah emphasised that John Mahama’s removal of the Chief Justice and his dominating Parliament make him a Supreme leader.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on September 13, Richard Ahiagbah stated, “What you have in Ghana after the President’s successful removal of the Chief Justice is a legislature that is dominated by the ruling party – the government of the day. Number two, you have a Judiciary effectively now in a position to be compromised”.
“So now you have effectively a supreme leader, who will not accept it; however, but the set-up is that President Mahama has become a Supreme leader.
Why? Because parliament is essentially his, and the Judiciary will effectively become his. When that happens, he is a Supreme leader. He can disagree, but that is what it is,” he stated.
However, President John Dramani Mahama has confidently stated that he is not on his way to becoming a supreme leader or an autocrat.
He light-heartedly reaffirmed his commitment to upholding Ghana’s democracy.
John Mahama dismissed claims of an attempt to amend the constitution to allow for a third term following the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo and the NDC’s super majority in Parliament.
President Mahama, reacting to these fears during his first media encounter on Wednesday, September 10, debunked such claims.
He reiterated that he remains fully committed to Ghana’s democratic governance.
John Mahama stated, “Look in my face, do I look like a supreme leader? I’m a democrat, true and true. Even when we attained two-thirds of Parliament, I said we’re not going to roughshod over the minority and that we are going to give an opportunity for democracy to flourish”.
“That is, to paraphrase Prof Atta Mills, do I look like a cat Hunter? Do I look like a supreme leader? I’m a Democrat, through and through. And even when we attained two-thirds of Parliament, I said that we are not going to use it to ride roughshod over the minority, and that we are going to give opportunity for democracy to flourish. And so we know we intend to use that two-thirds majority to steamroll our democracy”.
Mahama emphasised, “Certainly, I’m not on the way to becoming a supreme leader or an autocrat”.
It will be recalled that President John Mahama, on September 1, 2025, sacked the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, from office with immediate effect after he received a first report from the five-member committee he constituted to investigate three petitions brought against the Chief Justice.
Hours after President Mahama received the committee reports, Chief Justice Torkornoo was sacked with immediate effect.
A statement from the presidency stated, “President John Dramani Mahama has, in accordance with Article 146(9) of the 1992 Constitution, removed the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, from office with immediate effect”.
“This follows receipt of the report of the Committee constituted under Article 146(6) to inquire into a petition submitted by a Ghanaian citizen, Mr. Daniel Ofori. After considering the petition and the evidence, the Committee found that the grounds of stated misbehaviour under Article 146(1) had been established and recommended her removal from office.
“Under Article 146(9), the President is required to act in accordance with the Committee’s recommendation,” the statement concluded.
A leaked document on social media concluded that Justice Torkornoo had engaged in conduct amounting to “stated misbehaviour” under Article 146(1).
The Key finding read, “Unlawful expenditure of public funds: The committee held that the Chief Justice caused the Judicial Service to pay travel expenses for her husband and daughter during private holiday trips in 2023, including per diem allowances. This, the report stated, was an “avoidable and reckless dissipation of public funds.”
Abuse of discretionary power: The committee found that her handling of the transfer of one Mr. Baiden breached Article 296(a) and (b) of the Constitution, describing the act as misbehaviour.
Interference in judicial appointments: The report also noted that she sought to bypass the established process for nominating Justices of the Supreme Court, contrary to precedent set in the Ghana Bar Association case. The committee concluded this amounted to misbehaviour”.
The committee subsequently recommended her removal in accordance with Article 146(7). President Mahama, bound by Article 146(9), which makes the President’s action mandatory once such a recommendation is made, formally removed Justice Torkornoo by Warrant of Removal under the Presidential Seal.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has already made a bold declaration that he will not be a candidate in Ghana’s next elections.
According to John Mahama, stepping aside in 2028 would give him the moral authority to hold the line when it comes to Ghana’s fiscal discipline in an election year.
Mahama, during a bilateral discussion with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, criticised the practice of incumbent governments by-passing fiscal safeguards to curry favour with voters, a cycle he will end.
“I will not be a candidate in the next elections and therefore I can hold the line when it comes to fiscal discipline,” he said.