‘I Don’t Think He Passed Law’

 — Afenyo‑Markin in Rare Judiciary Rant

Minority Leader dares judge to cite him for contempt after Abronye DC remand; GBA accused of ‘duplicity’

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo‑Markin has launched an extraordinary personal attack on a Circuit Court judge, questioning his legal qualifications and vowing to “continue to disrespect him” until he grants bail to detained Bono Regional NPP chairman Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronye DC.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra, the Effutu MP did not hide his fury. “That judge has no respect for his own judicial oath. I don’t think he read the law,” Afenyo‑Markin said. “Circuit Court 9 judge, I have no respect for him.”

The judge had remanded Abronye into Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) custody last week after the regional chairman allegedly made derogatory online comments about a different Circuit Court judge, accusing that judge of presiding over political cases and covering “hair with a sack claiming you are a judge”.

But Afenyo‑Markin argued the remand was an abuse of judicial power. “A judge who says he is remanding an accused because if he grants him bail he is likely to talk again that is far from the law,” he said. He then went further: “I don’t know whether he ever passed his law. It’s a shame on the judiciary.”

‘I will continue to disrespect him’

The Minority Leader dared the judge to cite him for contempt. “I pray that he summons me for contempt. I will continue to disrespect him until he upholds the law,” he declared.

Legal observers noted that as a senior lawyer himself, Afenyo‑Markin knows a Circuit Court judge cannot summon a sitting MP for contempt directly a gap he appeared to exploit.

He also dragged the Chief Justice into the fray, warning that Justice Paul Baffoe Bonnie’s legacy is at stake. “Is that the legacy he wants to leave? After Torkonoo was booted out of office… Is that the reset where a judge will say he is remanding an accused because he might talk again?”

Presidential Spokesperson and Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu did not stay silent. In a strongly worded Facebook post, he accused the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) of “duplicity” for failing to immediately condemn Afenyo‑Markin.

“I have long dismissed the Ghana Bar Association as an NPP grouping,” Kwakye Ofosu wrote. “If it were not so, the intolerable abuse of this judge by the Minority Leader would have elicited an immediate, uncompromising response.”

The GBA has promised a statement, blaming delays on the unavailability of signatories. But spokesperson Saviour Kudze has already condemned the MP’s comments as a breach of professional ethics at “a time we keep saying the standards are falling”.

Not the first time

This is not Afenyo‑Markin’s first run‑in with a Circuit Court judge. Last month, he called another Circuit Court judge a “shame” after that judge remanded Sunyani East NPP communication officer Abubakar Yakubu (Baba Amando).

But political watchers say his current aggression may be driven by internal party dynamics. Afenyo‑Markin did not support Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia during the NPP flagbearer race, backing his friend Ken Agyapong instead. With pressure mounting to remove him as Minority Leader, some believe he is overacting to prove his loyalty to the party’s new direction.

What happens now

· Contempt proceedings? The judge is unlikely to act, but the Chief Justice may take notice.
· GBA statement: If and when it comes, the Bar’s tone could signal whether it will defend judicial independence against political heavyweights.
· Abronye’s case: He remains in BNI custody. Afenyo‑Markin’s outburst may not speed his release.

Afenyo‑Markin has thrown a hand grenade at the judiciary. Whether it explodes in the judge’s face or his own depends on how far the legal establishment is willing to push back. One thing is certain: the line between robust political criticism and contempt has rarely been crossed so publicly or so recklessly.