The Ghana Bar Association is distancing itself from comments by President Akufo-Addo at Monday's Ghana Bar Association Conference held in Cape Coast.

President Akufo-Addo who addressed the conference took the opportunity to denounce former President Mahama’s accusation that the President had stacked the bench with judges sympathetic to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Referring to former President Mahama's comment as ‘extremely dangerous,’ the President said “Not only are these concepts of ‘NPP’ and ‘NDC’ judges new in our public discourse, they are also extremely dangerous, and represent the most brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by any allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic.”

President Akufo-Addo then followed it up with a clarion call on the electorate to ensure John Mahama does not win the upcoming 2024 presidential elections.

“They provide another reason, if more were needed, why right-thinking citizens should ensure the defeat in 2024 of the man whom the first Special Prosecutor identified as Government Official No.1, in the still unresolved Airbus Bribery Scandal,” he said.     

But distancing themselves from the comment, the Ghana Bar Association’s PRO, Saviour Kudze said it was not proper of the President to have used their platform for political campaigning.

He said, “Akufo-Addo also said even though he said President Mahama didn’t do well and all that I admit, fine, that was all. But the only aspect I have a little concern about is going ahead to urge people to more or less vote against him. I don’t think that it was proper for him to use the platform for that.

“Because condemning what President Mahama said many more people have already done it, the Ghana Bar Association too has done it, but to go ahead to say that because of what he said people should more or less vote against him, I think that to me amounted in doing some political campaign on our platform which to me is not acceptable,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NDC has been demanding that the GBA issue a formal apology to their flagbearer, John Mahama, for allowing their platform be used in such a manner.