Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has defended her appointment to Ghana’s 9th Council of State, asserting that her selection was in line with constitutional provisions.
Justice Sophia Akuffo, who now serves as one of the 31 members of the advisory body chaired by former Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho, clarified that she was not representing the Judiciary but was serving in her own right as a former Chief Justice.
“I am a former Chief Justice. Am I not? Do I or do I not qualify?” she quizzed rhetorically when speaking to journalists after the swearing-in ceremony in Accra on Tuesday, February 18.
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According to her, there is a designated seat on the Council of State for a former Chief Justice, making her appointment both expected and justified. “Many people actually expected me to be selected,” she remarked.
Justice Akuffo assured that her role on the Council would not be one of mere endorsement of the President’s decisions but would be guided by integrity and independence.
“The Council of State is a body that is supposed to be advising the president. I am not going to be singing his master’s voice, so to speak. An adviser does not parrot,” she stated.
She emphasized that effective advisory roles require honesty and a commitment to the greater good. “An adviser speaks with honesty. An adviser looks to the best interest not only of the person they are advising but of the function the person is serving,” she explained.
Beyond her judicial experience, Justice Akuffo has been vocal on governance and financial accountability. Last year, she actively campaigned for the payment of bondholders, urging the government to fulfill its financial obligations.
Following President Mahama’s recent directive to the Finance Minister to ensure payments to bondholders, including herself, she lauded the decision.
“The President’s action was in perfect order and in accordance with the law,” she noted. “My stand was not about my pocket; it was about the principle that when the state makes a promise through a contract, it must honor it.”
Asked whether she would return to the streets should payments stall again, she responded: “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’m not someone who bows to wrongness. Now that I’m in an advisory position, I trust that if we provide good advice, it will be taken.”
With her legal expertise and strong advocacy background, Sophia Akuffo’s presence on the Council of State is expected to bring a firm and independent perspective, particularly on legal and constitutional matters.
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