Retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice William Atuguba has asserted that he quit politics because it “does not yield good fruits.”
He made this statement in reaction to the recent developments surrounding the Chief Justice’s suspension, including the NPP and allied parties’ #SavetheJudiciary protest and the petition by Vincent Ekow Assafuah.
He berated the politicisation of the Judiciary, particularly in political conversations where the the Apex Court is mockingly tagged as “Unanimous FC” when the panel unanimously deliver judgement on a case
Justice Atuguba clarified that his comments should not be misconstrued as partisan. He emphasized his disillusionment with politics, which he says led to his early withdrawal.
“When I speak like this, don’t think I’m supporting anyone. I’m not for anybody. I was a PFP candidate for the Chiana-Paga Constituency in 1979. That’s the same people now called the NPP. But I quit politics because they don’t yield good fruits — and that’s why I left.”
Historical records confirm that Justice Atuguba indeed contested the Chiana-Paga seat in 1979 on the ticket of the Popular Front Party (PFP), which later evolved into what is now the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
However, he abruptly ended his campaign even before the election took place. This episode resurfaced in political discussions in 2023, following claims by Dennis Miracle Aboagye, then Director of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development at the Presidency, that Atuguba resigned from the PFP, joined the NDC, and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1995.
This claim was debunked by Solidaire Ghana, a civil society organization, which clarified that Justice William Atuguba was appointed to the Supreme Court by the late President Jerry John Rawlings after years of private legal practice.
Atuguba had also served as Chairman of the then Upper Regional Investigations Committee and briefly as Acting Special Public Prosecutor. His appointment, the CSO noted, was based on a track record of integrity, particularly in exposing corrupt public officials.