GBA not an appendage of any political party – Ansa-Asare rebuts Ayine

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has always acted within the confines of the Constitution, former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Mr Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has said.

Speaking on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on Monday, September 15, Mr Ansa-Asare dismissed suggestions by the Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, that the Bar had aligned itself with partisan political interests.

He described Dr Ayine’s remarks as “unfortunate” after the Attorney-General told the GBA’s annual conference in Wa earlier that day that the association had engaged in “inconsistent advocacy” and “selective engagement” with constitutional matters.

Dr Ayine argued that the Bar had undermined its credibility by failing to maintain balance on key national issues, pointing to its muted response to the removal of former Electoral Commission chair, Charlotte Osei, compared with its vocal opposition to the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.

Mr Ansa-Asare, however, countered that while individual lawyers, who are members of the GBA, may have filed petitions in such cases, this did not mean the association itself had taken an official partisan stance.

“The Bar is the Bar and we remain the Bar. It cannot be accused of being an appendage of the NDC, NPP or any other party,” he said. “Whatever positions it takes are in good faith and within constitutional limits.”

He admitted that some of the GBA’s public statements had been inconsistent but stressed this did not amount to political bias. He urged the Attorney-General to be “measured” in his public remarks, warning that they risked fuelling negative perceptions of the institution.

Mr Ansa-Asare also recalled earlier criticisms he had made of the GBA’s statement during the removal process of Justice Torkornoo, saying it did not reflect the wider membership’s views. However, he maintained that such internal disagreements should not be mistaken for partisanship.

“The Attorney-General must know what goes into the Bar’s pronouncements. I can assure you that whatever the Bar does is in good faith,” he added.