A retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice William A. Atuguba, has eulogized the memory of the late Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Justice Daniel Francis Kweipe Annan, describing him as a man of integrity, wisdom and tact.
He said these exceptional qualities are what largely endeared the former Court of Appeal judge to ex-President Jerry Rawlings during his coup era without any fracas.
According to the revered former justice of the apex court, the late speaker was a leader whose legacy needs not only to be celebrated but studied to shape the path of the current generation.
Speaking at a lecture, to mark the official 20th anniversary of his death, Justice Atuguba, criticized how things have changed and degenerated with time, regretting the situation.
Without mincing words, he chastised some of the current judges for not living up to the tenet of the law profession. He was particularly also not pleased with the political class and leadership in general, indicating that partisan politics is overriding the national interests.
“I am stressing all these things because as I said there is a yawning gap between the life story of this man and today’s happenings. There is a yawning gap, very unfortunate, I must be blunt”.
Turning his attention to the legislator, Justice Atuguba decried the divisive nature of the house accusing them of only doing the bidding of their parties and not the national interest.
“Truth is indivisible, except you are talking politically. I see this Parliament as standing for something else than interest of Ghanaians. That’s how I see it”.
Some of them are good, but others are immersed in loyalty to the party and to whoever for the time is President, maneuvering to progress along the political ladder irrespective of honesty, fariness and good service to the people of Ghana”, he noted.
He drew a parallel line between the first and second speaker of the Parliaments of the Fourth Republic from his days as a lawyer, a judge, a leading figure of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) and a speaker, and the current crop of judges, politicians.
Telling stories of old and current judges he also did not spare his compatriots who did things alien to the law. “I am now compelled to castigate his colleagues who did the direct opposite”, citing a couple of cases to make his point.
Referencing large part of his presentation from a book on the life of Justice Annan, authored by Nana Ato Dadzie and Kwamena Ahwoi, Justice Atuguba agreed with almost all the things contained in it and urged the judges, politicians and the public to get themselves copies and learn from the astute statesman who was being celebrated.
While lauding the authors for giving “Factual details”, of the deceased, he told true life stories that depicted his incorruptible and uprightness.
“Another time also recounted in this book, a rich man who had a case before him came to his residence with a sack full of money to influence and as recounted in the book, Justice Annan gave him moments to disappear or to disappear or be arrested by the Police. This was a true judge not the type later on we experienced, we continue to experience, I will say it we continue to experience. Some of them are terrible and we know it”, he said.
He also talked about another incident in the life of the late speaker, where his first son was accused of a crime in the United Kingdom (UK) and was facing trial.
According to the outspoken former justice of the Supreme Court, the ex- speaker refused to use his influence to get his son freed. He revealed that Justice Annan asked that, his son faces the law and did not bother until somehow he was acquitted and freed by the UK court.
“Too committed to integrity was Justice Annan that when his own son was involved in some criminal activity in the UK, and he heard of it he said the law should take it own course and that Ghana mission there should do nothing at all about it. It was by the stroke of luck that he ended up being acquitted. This is the type of man we are celebrating. His own son, his first son he said no the law should be allowed to take its course”.
He also recalled another a case where the late paramount chief of the Builsa people in the Upper East Region, the late Nab Dr Ayieta Azatilow, who happens to be a friend of the late speaker, was involved in a court case. Justice Atuguba said as a legal advisor for the chief, he was once invited to his residence and inquired about the details of the issue.
He said after he briefed him that was it, he never made the attempt to interfere or intervene.
“Now people with corrupt minds would have thought that Justice Annan would have used his overpowering judicial stature to interfere with the judicial process—-at all he did not however, I heard later that when I appeared before the Vetting Committee of Parliament, he was asking whether I made reference to the fact that I was from the north and sadly I had to live by because of the type of questions they put before me. I was narrating the events. At that time there was no northerner at the Superior court”.
Justice Atuguba said the situation would have been different it were today. Speaking passionately about the direction of the country, he rebuked judges who today turn the law outside down during his era and those that are doing even worst today.
“Today is it imaginable? You can see the difference and that is why as lawyers when you read the judgments of those days as against latter years you see serious difference. Some of our judges are of high mettle but the judicial stability is quite squashy. I am not saying all of them, I am not telling you anything new, we are all Ghanaians you know. So this was the kind of man as a judge”.
He said D. F. Annan, as he was popularly called, was a principled man who always followed the right path regardless of whoseoxisgored.
Speaking to a large of attendees led by the Vice President, Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, as well as leadership of Parliament, Justice Atuguba told personal and official stories involving the deceased lacing his speech with encounters that personified his true nature.
He noted that unlike the current crop of judges, the former speaker exhibited exemplary life indicating that he “was very humble, open minded and great listening ear no matter your station of life”.
While he painted a gloomy picture, Justice Atuguba said all hope is not lost yet as there are still astute politicians who shine among the lots. He mentioned the likes of Dr Zanetor Rawlings, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Andy Appiah Kubi and others.
He also played glowing tribute to the lives of late Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, a former Minister for Science and Technology, who together with others died in a tragic plane crash in August 2025.
Born in 1928, Justice D. F Annan served in different portfolios—-state attorney, senior state attorney, circuit court judge, court of appeal judge, and speaker. He died in 2006.
The lecture was themed “Democracy, development and national unity: celebrating the endearing legacy of Rt. Hon. Daniel Francis Kweipe Annan”.
By Gifty Boateng