Police Hunt NDC Boys

The police have mounted a manhunt for a group of young men who call themselves, �Network for Social Democrats (NESOD)�, suspected to be linked to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), for threatening to remove Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, by force. The group, led by one Rudolph Rafik Awankua, last week Thursday held a press conference at the Ghana International Press Centre, at which they gave the Chief Justice a 14-day ultimatum to resign her position or incur their wrath, saying, �The Chief Justice must exit through the broad door or be forced out through the narrow window�, prompting the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to wade into the matter. �Since the Network of Social Democrats has decided to take the law into their own hands to coerce the Chief Justice of the republic to leave office by threats and harassment, we call on the Executive to take appropriate steps to protect Justice Georgina Wood and more importantly, the position of the Chief Justice. �We also call on the IGP to investigate these threats and pursue appropriate action as enjoined by the Constitution and the laws of the land,� the GBA said. Asked what they would do if the CJ failed to heed their call to resign, leader of the suspected NDC group threatened to �strike the iron while it is still hot�. They also claimed the administration of Georgina Wood had been characterized by �judicial chaos and confusion, judicial bias and corruption, judicial tyranny and dictatorship and judicial arrogance and pomposity�. With the prompting of the GBA, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Paul Tawiah Quaye, yesterday issued a directive for his men to investigate the matter. There and then, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga launched an investigation into the issue, together with her men. She led a high-powered delegation including Deputy Regional Commander ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Regional Crime Officer Superintendent Frank Adufate, the Staff Officer to the Regional Commander DSP Asiedu and Chief Inspector Kwaku Dompreh of the Public Affairs Unit to meet the Chief Justice at her office where they listened to her and took a written statement. The Regional Commander assured the Chief Justice that �the police would leave no stone unturned to unravel all those behind the crime and bring them to book�. Subsequently, the team went to the International Press Centre where members of NESOD made those sweeping threats to get their details. Members of the group had since been invited to the Regional Police command to assist the investigations. The NDC had not hidden its dislike for Justice Georgina Wood, using various platforms to insult, vilify and attack her personal and professional integrity, just like this unknown group, evidently fronting for some faces who are afraid to come public. Richard Quashigah, NDC propaganda secretary, at a students� forum at the University of Cape Coast last year, led a similar campaign of calumny against the CJ. DAILY GUIDE sources indicated that the group had, as their lawyer, a loquacious NDC apparatchik who is also struggling to disentangle himself from the web of sweeping bribery allegation against the judiciary which he had been asked to substantiate. It would be recalled that chairman of the NDC, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, at a press conference breathed out similar fire and brimstone and uttered the infamous words, �there are many ways to kill a cat�, when the party and government was frustrated after losing a series of cases in the courts against members of the former government. Much as they conceded that they did not have the power and opportunity to vote for a CJ every four years, spokesman for NESOD stated, �But there is certainly a way of getting rid of an underperforming one.� They claim the image of the Ghanaian judiciary had been seriously mutilated by the Chief Justice whom they said was not only uninspiring but also neither proactive nor creative, claiming that never in the history of this country had there been a Chief Justice as vindictive as Justice Georgina Wood. In their opinion, all appointments to the position of CJ had been to �party favourites� and not senior judges on the bench, with the exception of Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu, describing Georgina Wood as the extreme form of this favouritism phenomenon. They catalogued a number of allegations on which they said the CJ must resign her position. Chief among them was their claim that ever since she assumed office as Chief Justice, she had taken decisions that had the potential of plunging the country into chaos, claiming that �she hastily selected a judge to hear the ex-parte� motion by the NPP that sought to prevent the Electoral Commission from declaring the 2008 election results. �For having empanelled a court on a holiday to subvert the Constitution and will of Ghanaians, NESOD humbly requests the CJ to exit voluntarily through the broad door, otherwise, she would be forced out through the narrow window�, Spokesman, Rudolph Awankua said. The group also accused the judiciary of having elevated itself to the status of demi-gods, asking rhetorically, �Why will the magistrates and judges think that they are angels and saints beyond criticism?� It claimed that the judiciary was merely victimizing and persecuting Dr. Raymond Atuguba, David Annan, Larry Bimi and Abraham Amaliba and lately Chris Ackumey for performing their duties. Until and unless the licences of practice of the four lawyers had been revoked through the appropriate procedure, the group said, �No judge has the right to turn such a lawyer away�, as �this is absolute judicial tyranny�.