The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) refuted claims by Mr Rockson Nelson Etse Dafeamokpo, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for South Dayi, in the Volta Region, that it sidelined President John Dramani Mahama from the 2025 Bar Conference.
It said the claims were untrue and that the Association extended invitation to President Mahama earlier in March 2025 as the Guest Speaker for the Conference, which would be held in Wa.
The GBA in a statement, jointly signed by Mrs Efua Ghartey and National Secretary, Kwaku Gyau Baffour on August 21, also disregard the reports and claims it as “false and misleading.”
Mr Dafeamekpor, a private legal practitioner and Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, allegedly post on Facebook that the Association failed to invite President Mahama, claiming that the decision sets a bad precedent and affirms the Bar’s hostility towards the NDC.
He wondered why the Association, of which he is member, had invited former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo when he was the President but failed to extend similar courtesy to President Mahama.
“I saw how the GBA organised its Annual Conference from 2017 to 2024. The then President, Nana Akufo-Addo, was nearly always the Special Guest of Honour and Speaker. That isn’t the case in 2025. The President is conspicuously missing from the list of advertised speakers,” he stated.
The MP also criticised the invitation extended to the Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales, suggesting the move was questionable given recent criticisms of the Mahama administration by the body in relation to the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
The Association explained that the invitation was first extended during a courtesy call on the President in March 2025, followed by seven formal letters in July. It added that the Presidency confirmed acceptance in early August.
According to the GBA, the President’s absence from initial publicity materials was because his office had not yet responded at the time. It said subsequent communications had acknowledged his participation, in line with its usual practice.
“The GBA will not do anything to undermine the respect and dignity of the Office of the President,” the statement emphasised, urging the public to disregard attempts to create tension between the Association and the Presidency.
This year’s conference, to be held in Wa in the Upper West Region, will be on the theme: ‘Ensuring Ethical Law Practice in a Digital Era.’ Expected participants include the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the British High Commissioner, and the Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA