Parliament has approved the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana following a tense head count vote amid objections from the Minority.
The approval came after the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, rejected demands for a division and upheld the outcome of a head count directed during Thursday’s proceedings.
Drama unfolded in the House shortly after the Appointments Committee, chaired by Bernard Ahiafor, presented its report recommending the nominee’s approval by majority decision.
The Committee had praised Justice Baffoe-Bonnie for demonstrating outstanding competence, deep legal knowledge, and a firm grasp of judicial ethics during vetting. He addressed critical issues, including presidential election petitions, access to justice, judicial backlog, prison congestion, and restoring public confidence in the judiciary.
Following the presentation of the report, the Minority demanded a secret ballot for the approval vote.
Speaker Bagbin initially subjected the motion to a voice vote and declared that “the ayes have it.”
Challenging the ruling, First Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu, insisted on a secret vote. The Speaker then ordered a head count, the results of which he announced as 163 in favour and 69 against, siding with the Majority.
Unsatisfied, the Second Deputy Minority Whip invoked Order 15, Clauses 2 to 6 of the Standing Orders and called for a formal division.
Speaker Bagbin, however, rejected the demand for a division, ruling that the head count was sufficient and conclusive.
He subsequently declared Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie approved as Chief Justice by the House,
The standoff caused a delay in the scheduled presentation of the 2026 Budget Statement by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, which was expected earlier in the day.