Governance Analyst Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah has backed President John Dramani Mahama’s handling of the petition seeking the removal of the Special Prosecutor, warning that the frequent removal of heads of key state institutions could undermine Ghana’s governance stability.

He said repeated changes in the leadership of critical institutions risk creating uncertainty and weakening public confidence in democratic governance.

Professor Agyeman-Duah’s comments come amid heightened political tension following the removal of the Chief Justice last year and the filing of fresh petitions this year targeting the Chairperson and deputies of the Electoral Commission, as well as the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

In an interview on Joy FM on Monday, January 5, 2026, he described the removal of the Chief Justice as deeply unsettling for the country.

“Well, I pray not because the removal of the Chief Justice really shook the country’s justice system,” he said.

While acknowledging that arguments had been advanced in support of that decision, he cautioned against normalising the removal of institutional heads.

He said governance could not be stable if leaders of key institutions were changed at will or simply because their conduct was unpopular.

Professor Agyeman-Duah warned that campaign promises to remove public office holders could entrench a dangerous political culture, where every new government targets officials it finds inconvenient.

“If you are not careful, it becomes part of our political culture where any new government will come and target a particular head of institution who, for some reason, wasn’t liked,” he said.

He said Ghana needed to allow the system to stabilise after the Chief Justice’s removal and objectively assess its impact on public trust in the judiciary.

He expressed hope that studies would be conducted to determine whether confidence in the judiciary had improved as a result of the changes, adding that such assessments were necessary before further actions were taken.

Commenting on the petition against the Electoral Commission, Professor Agyeman-Duah said the issue stemmed from political promises made ahead of elections.

He criticised the precedent set by former President Nana Akufo-Addo in removing a former Electoral Commission Chair, Charlotte Osei, noting that it had made subsequent removals appear politically acceptable.

However, he urged the current government to exercise restraint and explore alternatives to removal, such as strengthening regulations, training, and institutional safeguards.

He said such measures would be more beneficial than deepening a culture of dismissals.

On the petition seeking the removal of the Special Prosecutor, Professor Agyeman-Duah commended President Mahama for intervening and urging the petitioners to withdraw their request.

He described the President’s action as wise and said it demonstrated a commitment to stability.

He said a similar approach should guide the handling of other petitions before the government to avoid a cycle of retaliation in Ghanaian politics.

Professor Agyeman-Duah expressed hope that Ghana would move away from what he described as a “do me, I do you” approach to governance and instead build a political culture anchored in institutional continuity and stability.