Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda and former Deputy Minister for Health, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has weighed in on the resignation of former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo from the Council of State, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding her decision while drawing attention to an ongoing investigation involving another member of the advisory body.
In a Facebook post reacting to reports of Madam Akuffo’s departure from the Council of State, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker appeared to challenge public narratives surrounding her resignation.
“So why won’t she resign from a Council of State whose member is being pursued by EOCO?” Acquah wrote, in what some members of the public have interpreted as a reference to investigations involving the Volta Regional representative on the Council of State, Dr. Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple.
The lawmaker’s comments come amid growing public debate over the reasons behind Sophia Akuffo’s resignation from the constitutional body mandated to advise the President on matters of national importance.
Sophia Akuffo, who served as Chief Justice from 2017 to 2020, is believed to have resigned from the Council of State, bringing her tenure on the country’s highest presidential advisory body to an end.
Sources indicate that she has not attended Council meetings since submitting her resignation, including the most recent sitting held a few days ago, where she was again absent.
Neither Madam Akuffo nor the Presidency has publicly explained the reasons for her decision, fueling widespread speculation and political commentary.
Her resignation follows a period during which she emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the proceedings that led to the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
Sophia Akuffo was at the centre of one of the country’s most consequential judicial controversies when the Council of State considered petitions seeking the removal of then-Chief Justice Torkornoo.
She described the proceedings as resembling a “treason trial” and warned that the manner in which the case was being handled risked undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
According to her, the allegations levelled against Justice Torkornoo did not meet the threshold required to justify the removal of the country’s highest-ranking judicial officer.
Her remarks generated significant public debate and attracted criticism from some legal practitioners, political commentators and civil society actors.
Justice Torkornoo was eventually removed from office on September 1, 2025, following the completion of the constitutional process.
Meanwhile, amid speculation that Sophia Akuffo resigned in protest against Justice Torkornoo’s removal, Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has dismissed such claims.
Speaking during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, June 15, 2026, Kwakye Ofosu said there was no evidence linking the former Chief Justice’s resignation to the removal of Justice Torkornoo.
He described suggestions that the resignation was an act of protest as speculative and unsupported by any public statement from Madam Akuffo.
According to him, the government reviewed the resignation letter submitted by the former Chief Justice and found no indication that her decision was connected to the judicial controversy.
He therefore urged the public to refrain from attributing motives to Sophia Akuffo’s resignation in the absence of official confirmation.
While discussions continue regarding the reasons for her departure, Acquah’s comments have shifted attention to a separate matter involving another member of the Council of State.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is currently investigating Dr. Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple, the Volta Regional representative on the Council of State, over his alleged involvement in a GH¢57 million gold fraud and money laundering case.
The allegations relate to suspected fraudulent gold transactions and the possible laundering of proceeds derived from those activities.
As part of the ongoing investigation, EOCO reportedly secured court orders freezing bank accounts linked to a company associated with Dr. Kwamigah-Atokple to prevent the dissipation of funds while investigations continue.
No formal findings have been announced, and the investigations remain ongoing.
Acquah’s intervention is likely to intensify political discussions surrounding both Sophia Akuffo’s resignation and broader concerns about accountability within the Council of State.
His remarks suggest that if public attention is focused on alleged political motivations behind Sophia Akuffo’s resignation, equal scrutiny should be directed at concerns arising from investigations involving sitting members of the advisory body.
For now, however, the exact reasons behind Sophia Akuffo’s departure remain unknown, as neither the former Chief Justice nor the Presidency has publicly disclosed the circumstances that informed her decision.
By 1960news.com
