The Chief Justice of Ghana, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has determined that no prima facie case has been established in relation to the petitions seeking the removal of the Chairperson and Deputies of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, as well as the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Following this determination, President John Dramani Mahama has been formally notified in accordance with constitutional procedure.
The petitions were earlier referred to the Chief Justice by the President pursuant to Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 15 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), which require an initial assessment to determine whether sufficient grounds exist to warrant a full inquiry into allegations against holders of such high public offices.
In a letter dated January 26, 2026, the Chief Justice concluded that the petitions failed to disclose adequate basis to establish a prima facie case. As a result, no further constitutional proceedings or investigative process will be initiated regarding the matter.
The decision effectively brings closure, at least for now, to the attempts to trigger constitutional removal processes against the leadership of the Electoral Commission and the Special Prosecutor, reinforcing the procedural safeguards outlined in Ghana’s constitutional framework.
Legal analysts note that the ruling underscores the high threshold required to activate removal proceedings involving independent constitutional office holders, a safeguard intended to protect such institutions from undue political or partisan pressure.
