Story: News Desk 

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) president, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has rejected claims that it harbours a bias against the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking to the media, Mr Boafo addressed concerns stemming from perceptions that the GBA was politically aligned.

He emphasised the Association’s commitment to constitutional principles rather than political partisanship.

“At times this allegation that the Ghana Bar Association is anti-NDC is from the PNDC era,” he stated, referring to the military government led by former President Jerry John Rawlings, which later transitioned into the NDC.

He dismissed these long-standing accusations, citing the Association’s nonpartisan approach in its dealings with political leaders.

He highlighted the GBA’s history of engagement with political leaders, questioning whether the GBA had ever shown favouritism by treating different presidents unequally.

“I always ask if there was something former President Mahama did that the Bar complained about, and President Akufo-Addo did the same thing and we were quiet,” he added.

Mr Boafo further explained that the association distinguishes between political matters and constitutional issues, ensuring that the GBA does not involve itself in purely political debates. 

He contrasted the GBA’s responsibilities with those of civil society groups, noting that while civil society organisations (CSOs) can engage freely in political discourse, the GBA must be more reserved. 

“Civil Society Groups have come up. They don’t have the burden that the Bar has. A GBA President cannot afford the time, the jumping around from one station to the other commenting on every other thing because most of the time the topics that are in the public domain are political matters,” he explained.