The Minority in Parliament has announced it will boycott Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s planned visit to Parliament, describing his recent institutional engagements as a “thank-you tour” to express gratitude for his appointment.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin made the declaration during a press briefing in Accra on Monday, January 26, 2026, amid the Chief Justice’s ongoing courtesy calls to various state institutions and ministries.
“And by the way, we have seen that My Lord Baffoe-Bonnie and his management are all over at the various ministries, including Jubilee House,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said.
“Is he on a thank-you tour? Is My Lord Baffoe-Bonnie on a thank you tour, thanking the government for appointing him as Chief Justice?”
The Minority Leader revealed that the group had been informed of the Chief Justice’s scheduled visit to Parliament but insisted they would not take part.
“We, the Minority, don’t see him as a tolerant head of the judiciary. Members of the Minority were attacked when we criticised the processes leading to his nomination,” he stated.
For that reason, he added, the Minority would not participate in what he termed a “thank-you talk”.
“We will therefore not be part of his thank-you talk. If he wants to engage us, our offices are open. He should come and engage us and we’ll let him know the things that we find wrong,” Mr Afenyo-Markin emphasised.
In recent weeks, Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has undertaken a series of courtesy and institutional visits aimed at fostering collaboration across branches of government and the justice system.
These include a courtesy call on Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, during which he briefed her on judicial achievements and priorities such as decongesting courts and expanding Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services.
He also met Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to discuss strengthening ties between the Judiciary and the Finance Ministry, highlighting issues like court congestion and the need for better working conditions for judicial staff.
Additionally, the Chief Justice visited the Ministry of Education to explore cooperation in areas such as legal education and promoting civic responsibility.
On Monday, he commenced further visits to key state bodies, including the Ghana Police Service and Parliament, as part of broader efforts to enhance coordination within Ghana’s governance and justice architecture.
However, the Minority during its accountability press conference on Monday, criticised these engagements as politically motivated rather than strictly professional or judicial in purpose.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further accused the government of actions that undermine Ghana’s international credibility, citing alleged opaque practices at the central bank, politicisation of prosecutions, unconstitutional removal of a previous Chief Justice, and environmental degradation through river destruction.
“A government that tolerates opaque law-making schemes orchestrated by the Central Bank, that turns prosecution into a political weapon, that attacks judicial independence by unconstitutionally removing a Chief Justice, and that allows the ongoing destruction of our rivers, is steadily destroying the very credibility it seeks to display abroad,” he said.