The Ghana Bar Association has firmly dismissed allegations by government spokesperson and Minister of State for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, that the association is affiliated with the opposition New Patriotic Party.
The remarks come amid increasing public discussion over the GBA’s perceived silence on comments made by Minority Leader and Effutu MP, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, directed at some members of the judiciary.
Speaking on Top Story on Monday, May 18, the GBA’s Public Relations Officer, Saviour Kudze, described the accusation as unfortunate and called on politicians to refrain from politicising the association whenever it comments on national matters.
“That doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s rather disappointing that every time this matter keeps coming up,” Mr Kudze said.
He argued that the country’s major national concerns deserved greater focus than recurring political attacks on professional institutions such as the Ghana Bar Association.
“It appears the many problems that Ghanaians are worried about — sanitation, galamsey — we don’t want to act on those ones. Anytime GBA speaks at certain times, he speaks for certain people, and he doesn’t speak for certain people,” he stated.
The controversy emerged after some members of the governing National Democratic Congress criticised the GBA for allegedly failing to publicly denounce remarks by Minority Leader and Effutu MP, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, which many viewed as disparaging towards certain judges.
In a Facebook post on Monday, government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu suggested that the association’s silence appeared to validate longstanding claims that the GBA sympathises with the New Patriotic Party — an accusation the association has consistently rejected over the years.
Responding to the allegations, Saviour Kudze said portraying the GBA through a partisan political lens weakens the credibility of the legal profession and diverts attention from the shared duty lawyers have in promoting national development and upholding the rule of law.
“How long can we continue to do this? It’s becoming a ritual. Can we move away from this?” he questioned.
The GBA PRO also urged political actors to stop the recurring cycle of accusations and focus on addressing institutional challenges through practical solutions rather than public criticism.
“In any case, all those or most of those people saying these things are in leadership. If they have identified a problem, understanding of leadership is providing solutions to problems. What have they done about it?” he asked.
He further reiterated that the Ghana Bar Association continues to function as a single, non-partisan professional body that represents lawyers across all political affiliations.
“Because it is only one group of lawyers that we have. We are all lawyers belonging to one group. If there’s an issue, how do we deal with it?” he said.
He rejected claims that the Association represents the interests of any political party.
“Every time, GBA is a wing of NPP. I don’t know that. To me, it is not true,” he added.
Mr. Kudze further noted that while judicial decisions may be criticised, lawyers are expected to follow proper legal procedures, such as filing appeals, rather than making public remarks that could be interpreted as disrespectful to the bench.
