Adansi-Asokwa MP, Kobina Tahir Hammond, has claimed the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The outspoken lawmaker said though the Constitution frowns on chiefs engaging in partisan politics, the Dormaahene does engage in active politics.
Speaking to Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV on Thursday, he advised the Dormaahene to be cautious of his conduct and comments as they may have repercussions.
According to him, the chief who doubles as High Court judge has breached the entire constitution.
“Just listen to all that he has been saying. Just one person. Listen to what he has been saying about the Supreme Court. So it’s not like someone wants him to be punished. Why? Doesn’t he know what is doing could bring him trouble?”
“Apparently, he is an NDC member. So he has breached the entire constitution. He is an NDC person. He eats and dines with them. Tell him K. T. Hammond says you are an NDC person.”
The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, has recently been in the news for asking President Akufo-Addo and the Attorney-General to discontinue the criminal trial against the Assin North MP.
The chief who doubles as President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs says he disagrees with the initial ruling made by the Supreme Court, which declared Gyakye Quayson’s parliamentary position invalid due to his dual citizenship status.
“He [Gyakye Quayson] said he was not willing to stay in Canada, he dropped his citizenship and returned to Ghana to help. When he got here, he had a bit of a challenge and the Supreme Court ruled that his mandate as an MP should be nullified,” he stressed.
He made these comments during the Professor John Evans Atta Mills Commemorative Lecture in Sunyani on Saturday, July 1.
Addressing the gathering, the Dormaahene made it clear that he would have taken a divergent stance if he had been part of the panel deciding on the matter.
“Some of us were not happy with that. If I were on the Supreme Court, I would have gone left and not the right,” he said.
However, following his comments, many Ghanaians have expressed varied views on same.
For instance, the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has advised the chief to desist from making controversial statements.
The Suame MP says the chief’s remarks on James Gyakye Quayson’s case might prevent his promotion to the Supreme Court.
The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who disagrees with the Dormaahene’s call for the state to discontinue the criminal trial of the Assin North MP-elect, said such utterance cannot be made by a sitting judge.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu quizzed the chief if he would have advocated for a discontinuation had the case been a murder trial.
Speaking in an interview with Pure FM, on Monday, July 3, he advised him to tread carefully when it comes to such matters.
“The Dormaahene is a respected chief and a distinguished judge, as such his comments are not ordinary but I must say that I disagree with him on the call to drop Quayson’s case.
“We are talking about constitutional matters here. Is it the case of the chief that he would call for the same to be discontinued if it was a murder charge or any other?
“Is the respected chief saying that if someone flouts the law, we should let it go? I disagree. I think he should come out to explain further.”
Meanwhile, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Committee has disagreed with claims that comments by the Dormaahene, calling for the discontinuation of the criminal trial of Mr James Gyakye Quayson are offensive and unethical.
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor says the Dormaahene did not breach any magistrates and judges’ code of conduct, and for anyone to suggest that he be hauled before the judicial council to face disciplinary measures cannot be in order.
He challenged accusers of the Dormaahene to point him to any code of conduct he breached.
“I disagree totally with the immoral suggestion they made, that this matter be looked into by the judicial council, especially the disciplinary committee of the judicial council,” he said in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday.
