Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has resigned from Ghana’s Council of State, ending her tenure on the country’s highest presidential advisory body after a period marked by controversy surrounding the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Sources familiar with the matter told Myjoyonline that Justice Akuffo submitted her resignation last year and has not participated in any Council of State meetings since then. Neither she nor the Presidency has publicly commented on the development, and the reasons behind her decision remain undisclosed.
The Council of State is a constitutional body mandated to advise the President on issues of national importance. It is made up of elected and appointed members from across the country.
Justice Akuffo’s departure comes months after she emerged as a prominent voice during the judicial process that led to the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
In April 2025, the Council of State considered whether a prima facie case had been established against Justice Torkornoo. Out of the 31 members who participated in the vote, 30 supported the finding, while Justice Akuffo was the only member who abstained. At the time, she did not publicly explain her decision.
Her involvement in the matter became more pronounced in the months that followed. At the request of the suspended Chief Justice, Justice Akuffo voluntarily appeared before the Article 146 committee investigating the allegations against Justice Torkornoo and testified in her defence.
She later voiced concerns about the process publicly, arguing that Justice Torkornoo had not received a fair hearing. In a September 2025 interview, Justice Akuffo described the proceedings as resembling a “treason trial” and warned that the process had weakened public confidence in the judiciary. She further stated that the allegations against the former Chief Justice did not warrant the severe consequence of removal from office.
Her comments triggered strong reactions from legal and political figures.
Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, criticised Justice Akuffo, arguing that her remarks amounted to a breach of the oath of secrecy required of Council of State members. He suggested that her comments indirectly disclosed information relating to confidential proceedings.
Similarly, United Party member Solomon Owusu announced plans to petition for her removal from the Council of State. He accused her of compromising the confidentiality of the Council’s work and questioned her decision to testify before the committee while still serving on the advisory body that had participated in determining the existence of a prima facie case.
The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of one of the most significant judicial episodes in Ghana’s recent history. President John Dramani Mahama formally signed the warrant for Justice Torkornoo’s removal on September 1, 2025, following the conclusion of the constitutional process.
Justice Sophia Akuffo remains one of Ghana’s most distinguished jurists. She served on the Supreme Court for more than two decades before becoming Ghana’s 13th Chief Justice in 2017. She was the second woman to occupy the position after Justice Georgina Theodora Wood. Prior to her appointment as Chief Justice, she also served as a judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Her time on the Council of State had previously attracted public attention in 2023 when she joined pensioner groups protesting aspects of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme, arguing that retirees should not shoulder an unfair share of the country’s economic recovery efforts.
With her resignation now confirmed, no official announcement has yet been made regarding who will replace her on the Council of State.
