KUENYEHIA AND OTHERS vs. ARCHER AND OTHERS [1993]DLSC758

Date	1993-05-25
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1993]DLSC758

ADADE JSC

FRANCOIS JSC

AMUA-SEKYI JSC

AIKINS JSC

EDWARD WIREDU JSC

BAMFORD-ADDO JSC

HAYFRON-BENJAMIN JSC

P A ADJETEY (WITH HIM NELSON-COFIE DR SETH TWUM FRANK SAWYER AND W ADDO) FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.

DR OBED ASAMOAH ATTORNEY-GENERAL (WITH HIM MRS ORLEANS CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY AND MRS ADUSA-AMANKWA CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE DEFENDANTS.

[1993]DLSC758
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">KUENYEHIA AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">ARCHER AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1993-94] 2 GLR 525<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>P A ADJETEY (WITH HIM NELSON-COFIE, DR SETH TWUM, FRANK SAWYER AND
W ADDO) FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

DR OBED ASAMOAH, ATTORNEY-GENERAL (WITH HIM MRS ORLEANS, CHIEF
STATE ATTORNEY, AND MRS ADUSA-AMANKWA, CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE
DEFENDANTS. <o:p></o:p>

ADADE, FRANCOIS, AMUA-SEKYI, AIKINS, EDWARD WIREDU, BAMFORD-ADDO
AND HAYFRON-BENJAMIN JJSC<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF ADADE JSC<o:p></o:p>On 23 February 1993 the Chief Justice, the first defendant to this
action, armed with a letter from the President’s office dated 22 February 1993,
administered the oath of allegiance and the judicial oath to justices of the
Supreme Court. Three days later, on 26 February 1993, justices of the Court of
Appeal were likewise sworn. The Ghana Bar Association complains that the said
swearing-in are not in conformity with the Constitution, 1992 and are null and
void. The association’s first step was to write to the Chief Justice (exhibit
SC 2), dated 4 March 1993, explaining in some detail their position. Not
receiving any satisfactory response, and apparently teased by the report of a
press conference given by the Judicial Secretary, the second defendant (exhibit
SC 4), the association, it seems, mandated three of its principal officers to
institute the present action. In their statement of case as in the writ of
summons, filed on 18 March 993, the three officers described themselves
respectively as “the national president, the national vice-president and
national secretary of the Ghana Bar Association.” As was pointed out by the
defendants in their statement of case, the plaintiffs do not need to sue in a
representative capacity, since by article 2(1) of the Constitution, 1992 any<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“. . .person “who alleges that . . .<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b) any act or omission of any person; is inconsistent with, or is
in contravention of a provision of this Constitution may bring an action in the
Supreme Court for a declaration to that effect.”<o:p></o:p>Nothing, however, turns on the capacity in which the plaintiffs
have sued, and the question needs not be addressed further.<o:p></o:p>The first and second defendants, although not described by office
in the title of the action, were sued in their official capacities as the Chief
Justice and Judicial Secretary respectively, of the Judicial Service: see
paragraphs (4) and (5) of the statement of case. The third defendant is the
Attorney-General of the Republic of Ghana, and was sued as such.<o:p></o:p>By their writ of summons the plaintiffs seek two reliefs, viz:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(1) A declaration that by the combined effect of article 156 (1),
(2) and (3), and section 4 of the transitional provisions, the First and Second
Schedules of the constitution, 1992 of the Republic of Ghana, all Justice of
the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court in Ghana holding
office immediately before the coming into force of the said Constitution are
obliged to take and subscribe the oath of allegiance and the judicial oath set
out in the Second Schedule to the said Constitution before the President of the
Republic of Ghana only and not before any other person.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(2) A declaration that the purported taking and subscribing of the
oath of allegiance and the judicial oath by justices of the Supreme Court and
the Court of Appeal of Ghana on or about 23 and 26 February 1993, respectively,
before the Chief Justice is null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”<o:p></o:p>In the statement of case accompanying the writ of summons, as they
did in exhibit SC 2, the plaintiffs explain at some length why they consider
the action of the Chief Justice unconstitutional. They argue in particular that
by the combined effect of article 156 and section 4 of the transitional
provision of the Constitution, 1992 the Chief Justice has no capacity to
administer the oath of allegiance and the judicial oath to justices of the
superior courts.<o:p></o:p>The defendants quite naturally reject this argument. They contend,
in particular, per paragraph (8) of their statement of defence that:</main>