Court of Appeal judge, Justice Clemence Honyenuga, has been “caught pants down”, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, an aide to former President John Mahama has said.

This was in reference to the judge’s recent endorsement of the president’s second term bid when he (the judge), in his capacity as the Paramount Chief of the Nyagbo Traditional Area known as Torgbui Ashui Nyagasi V, welcomed Nana Akufo-Addo to Golokwati, Afadzato South, during the president’s recent tour of the Oti and Volta regions.

Justice Honyenuga, who is sitting on the case between the state, on the one hand; and the former CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo, told President Nana Akufo-Addo that his government’s Free Senior High School policy is unparalleled.

Speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people in honour of Mr Akufo-Addo, Torgbui Ashui Nyagasi V told the President: “We wish to congratulate you for the excellent manner you are governing this dear country of ours, Ghana, and the significant gains made in the economy in your first term”, adding: “It is true that you have won high admiration, not only in Africa but also in advanced democracies”.

“Your flagship programmes, like the Free Senior High School, Planting for Food and Jobs – which has increased food production and has even led to exports; – One District-One Factory, among others, has (sic) increased food production and has (sic) improved upon the standard of living of many Ghanaians”, he said.

“Indeed”, he added: “For special mention is the Free SHS, which has broken boundaries and has greatly bridged the gap between the rich and the poor”, observing: “This programme has also broken the record, which was held by the first President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who gave free education to our brothers and sisters in the northern part of Ghana”.

The chief then praised the President thus: “Your Free SHS programme is unprecedented in the history of Ghana, in a first term, as it covers the whole country”.

“We, in this district, have equally benefitted and we say ‘ayekoo’ to Your Excellency and may God and our ancestors shower their blessings on you, give you longer life and deeper thoughts to move this nation forward”.

“It is our hope that with your vision and the gains made in your first term, Ghanaians may consider giving you another four years”.

Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme on Monday, 14 February 2020, Mr Mahama’s aide told host Randy Abbey: “ … I would want to put it in proper perspective that I’m sure that if Justice Honyenuga watches this clip of himself, reading that statement and if you watch even the faces of the persons who were sitting around him, it leaves watchers in no doubt that even they were smarting from it, they were a touch uncomfortable”.

“Randy, the second thing I would want to put out there is that: we ought to, no matter what we do, try as much as possible, to think about some very important judicial principles that in every situation that we find ourselves in, it is not just about justice being done but it must be manifestly seen to be done. It is also not the first time that you’ll see a judge sitting as a traditional ruler, but in this case, we not only have a judge, but we also have a judge who is currently sitting on cases involving some very senior political persons, specifically, politicians from the erstwhile NDC administration, who are currently standing trial for all sorts of charges, and we have this particular judge sitting on this matter.