ELS: MBN360 POLITICS
A member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Legal Directorate, Ishaq Ibrahim, has described as “very courageous” the decision by the Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, to challenge the Judiciary over the hearing of selected criminal cases during the 2026 legal vacation.
Mr Ibrahim said it was particularly bold for Mr Oppong Nkrumah to bring the case when the Chief Justice, who is at the centre of the challenge, is the head of the Judiciary.
“It is very courageous of Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to file a case against the Judiciary when it is the head of the Judiciary who will sit on the case,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim made the remarks during a discussion on Current Agenda, following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of an interlocutory injunction application filed by Mr Oppong Nkrumah.
However, private legal practitioners Austin Brako-Powers and Kwame Owusu-Danso disagreed with Mr Ibrahim’s assessment, defending the MP’s decision to seek redress through the courts.
Mr Brako-Powers said Mr Oppong Nkrumah had exercised his democratic right by challenging the matter through the appropriate legal channels.
Mr Owusu-Danso also congratulated the MP, arguing that resorting to the courts was consistent with democratic principles.
“I want to congratulate Kojo Oppong Nkrumah because this is what democracy should be about: if you have a view that is incompatible with what is prevailing, the avenue for expressing that view is the courts,” he said.
Supreme Court dismisses injunction application
The comments followed a ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday, August 21, 2026, dismissing Mr Oppong Nkrumah’s application for an interlocutory injunction.
Read also:
- MLS: Lionel Messi fined for slapping opponent’s neck
- EPL: Fatawu Issahaku impresses in big Ipswich Town win
- GFA in talks to appoint next Black Stars coach
- Where does Man Utd defeat rank among shock opening-game losses?
- Debutant Espi gives Mourinho a winning Real Madrid return
Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, sitting as a single judge of the Supreme Court, dismissed the application, clearing the way for the affected High Court criminal trials to continue during the legal vacation.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah filed the substantive case on August 14, challenging administrative warrants issued by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie directing selected High Court judges to hear specified criminal cases during the vacation.
The legal vacation for Ghana’s Superior Courts runs from August 1 to September 30 each year.
The MP had asked the Supreme Court to restrain the affected High Court judges from sitting until the substantive case was determined. He argued that allowing the trials to continue could render his case nugatory.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah was represented by private legal practitioner Frank Davies, while Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai represented the two respondents — the Chief Justice and the Attorney-General.
Debate over legal vacation
The 2026 vacation court arrangement has generated debate within the legal profession, particularly over the decision to allow selected criminal cases to proceed during the period.
The Ghana Bar Association had earlier written to the Chief Justice, stating that lawyers were not compelled to appear before vacation courts.
The Association also maintained that the legal vacation was intended to provide judges, lawyers and judicial staff with a necessary break.
The substantive case filed by Mr Oppong Nkrumah is expected to determine the constitutional validity of the administrative warrants issued for the hearing of the selected criminal cases during the 2026 legal vacation.
