The Deputy Chief Executive Officer for National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri Esq, has argued that the attempt to interpret the Chief Justice’s call for nation-building and collective support for Ghana’s development as partisan politics is mischievous, hypocritical and unpatriotic.
Her comments follow remarks attributed to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who said: “President Mahama’s agenda is one that will benefit Ghana. We should do everything to ensure that he succeeds.”
According to Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri, there is “absolutely nothing wrong” with the Chief Justice encouraging Ghanaians to support an agenda he believes will benefit the country.
She argues that the statement must be understood within the broader context of nation-building rather than reduced to partisan politics.
President Mahama’s success is Ghana’s success
Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri points out that John Dramani Mahama is not only the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), but also the President of the Republic of Ghana.
She argues that if the President succeeds in implementing policies aimed at creating jobs, fighting corruption, stabilising the economy and improving the lives of Ghanaians, the benefits will extend beyond members and supporters of the governing party.
“His failure is Ghana’s failure. His success is Ghana’s success,” she states.
She therefore questions why any patriotic Ghanaian would want the President to fail, particularly when the success of government policies could improve the lives of citizens across the political divide.
Supporting national development is not partisan politics
According to her, the Chief Justice did not ask Ghanaians to vote for the NDC or campaign for the party ahead of the 2028 elections.
Rather, she says, his comments were directed at supporting an agenda he believes can contribute to Ghana’s development.
“There is a fundamental difference between partisan political campaigning and encouraging citizens to support initiatives aimed at national development,” she argues.
She adds that expressing an opinion on matters of national development should not automatically be interpreted as political campaigning.
Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri further argues that judicial independence and impartiality remain critical to Ghana’s democracy, but these principles should not be interpreted to mean that judges must remain silent on issues concerning national development.
She notes that the Chief Justice made the comments in the context of a nation-building forum and not while presiding over a case from the bench.
“The Judicial Oath requires judges to be impartial in cases before them. It does not make them silent robots on national development,” she says.
She therefore believes the Chief Justice’s comments should be assessed within the context in which they were made.
‘The hypocrisy must stop’
Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri also questions what she describes as the application of double standards to public officials depending on which political party is in government.
She asks whether those criticising the Chief Justice today would have reacted in the same manner if similar comments had been made under a different administration.
“We must be careful not to allow partisan politics to determine how we interpret every statement made by public officials,” she argues.
She maintains that government must be held accountable and that criticism of government policies is an important part of democracy. However, she says criticism should not be confused with wishing for the failure of the country.
For Anatu Anne Seidu Bogobiri, President Mahama’s Reset Agenda should ultimately be judged by whether it delivers tangible benefits to Ghanaians.
“If it succeeds, Ghana succeeds. And if Ghana succeeds, we all benefit,” she states.
She concludes by urging Ghanaians to put the national interest ahead of partisan considerations. “Ghana first.”
Story by : Belinda Anim Piesie
