The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has expressed its dissatisfaction with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo using its conference platform for political campaigning against former President John Mahama.

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The GBA’s Public Relations Officer, Saviour Kudze, said in an interview with Citi News, “What the president said today is rather unfortunate and we condemn it. The aspect we condemn has to do with his appeal to Ghanaians, essentially campaigning, urging them to vote against Mahama simply because he commented on President Akufo-Addo allegedly appointing NPP-aligned judges, as stated by President Mahama.”

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He noted, “And also bringing up the issue of the investigations allegedly linking former President Mahama to the Airbus scandal. Our platform is not supposed to be used for that and then we condemn that aspect of President Akufo-Addo’s comment. We are not going to allow anybody to use our platform to campaign politically for or against any opponent.”

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The GBA clarified that it wouldn't apologize to Mahama, as they had previously criticized him for engaging in similar behavior. Earlier on Monday, Akufo-Addo rebuked Mahama for recent allegations about the judiciary's influence by judges aligned with the ruling NPP party.

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He characterisd Mahama’s comments as “very dangerous” and contended that they constituted a “brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary.”

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The GBA highlighted that they shared Akufo-Addo's concerns about judicial independence but didn't endorse his approach.

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“The GBA believes that the best way to protect the independence of the judiciary is to ensure that all politicians, regardless of their party affiliation, respect the rule of law and the separation of powers,” their statement said.

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The Association urged all politicians to avoid making political statements during conferences and uphold the legal profession's impartiality.

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https://www.youtube.com/live/wQ2SOjbClsI?si=V1_dnLq1eDV0m3xc

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