Minority have nothing against Supreme Court Nominees-Patrick Boamah Reaffirms Cooperation at Parliament Vetting
As Parliament commenced the vetting of seven newly nominated Supreme Court justices on Monday, Member of Parliament for Okaikoi Central and member of the Appointments Committee, Hon. Patrick Yaw Boamah, reaffirmed the Minority Caucus’s commitment to a smooth and constructive process, dismissing any speculation about a boycott or disruptions.
“We are going to cooperate. We’ve always been a cooperative Minority,” Hon. Boamah stated in a media interview. “We’ve raised issues where necessary, and yes, we’ve boycotted proceedings where appropriate — but always within the rules of parliamentary practice. As we speak, I’ve received no instructions from my caucus leadership suggesting any boycott or obstruction. We respect the Justices, we’ve practiced before them, and we believe in following constitutional procedure.”
The Appointments Committee began the vetting process with Justices Senyo Dzamefe, Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, and Gbiel Simon Suurbaareh, as the first three of the seven nominees presented by President John Dramani Mahama.
The remaining four—Justices Philip Bright Mensah, Janapare Adzua Bartels-Kodwo, Hafisata Amaleboba, and Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo—will face the Committee in subsequent sittings.
The vetting sessions, according to Hon. Boamah, are expected to be detailed and extensive.
“We’re starting at 10 a.m. with Justice Dzamefe, followed by Justice Adjei and then Justice Suurbaareh. I expect we’ll be here until about 6 p.m. The questions will be probing, and the issues will be deep. This is a constitutional requirement we are fulfilling,” he noted.
Asked about perceptions that the Minority has previously criticized the number of Supreme Court appointments, Hon. Boamah clarified that the Minority’s position has always been rooted in context and not politics.
“At the time that three or four justices were nominated by the previous administration, yes, some NDC members raised concerns. But there will always be reasons for nominations — retirement, resignation, even death,” he explained. “We don’t politicize nominations. We look at the necessity based on the workload and vacancies.”
The Okaikoi Central MP emphasized that the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction extends far beyond constitutional interpretation and includes matters such as human rights enforcement, chieftaincy appeals from the National House of Chiefs, interlocutory applications, and election petitions.
“Sometimes people think the Supreme Court only handles constitutional matters,” Boamah noted. “But the truth is, there’s a lot more. They handle appeals in all matters — civil, criminal, human rights, chieftaincy, election-related. That’s a heavy load. Can 13 or 14 justices handle all that?”
He also pointed to situations where justices are seconded to serve on commissions of inquiry or electoral panels, which further strains the court’s bench capacity.
“That’s why, at a point, the Chief Justice had to make a formal request to President Akufo-Addo to increase the number of justices. When justices are assigned elsewhere, the workload remains but the hands are fewer,” he said.
As the vetting process continues over the next three days, the Appointments Committee is expected to submit a report to the plenary, after which Parliament will vote to approve or reject the nominees based on the Committee’s findings.
“This is not our first time vetting justices,” Hon. Boamah concluded. “We’ll be asking the necessary legal and ethical questions, tracking recent developments in law and society, and ensuring that the bench is not only competent but also aligned with the highest principles of justice.”
Source: Felix Nyaaba | expressnewsghana.com
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