 has filed a strong opposition to a writ brought before the Supreme Court by Member of Parliament Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the newly formed Ghana Law Society (GLS), and others, challenging what they describe as the unconstitutional recognition of the GBA as the sole association for lawyers under the 1992 Constitution.){kind=link}
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has filed a strong opposition to a writ brought before the Supreme Court by Member of Parliament Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the newly formed Ghana Law Society (GLS), and others, challenging what they describe as the unconstitutional recognition of the GBA as the sole association for lawyers under the 1992 Constitution.
In its Statement of Case, filed on 28 October 2025, the GBA—representing more than 5,000 lawyers nationwide—argues that the plaintiffs’ action is fundamentally flawed and fails to properly invoke the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction.
The Association, through its legal team led by respected practitioner Ace Anan Ankomah, cites the landmark case Republic v. Special Tribunal; Ex parte Akosah [1980] GLR 592, which sets out the conditions under which the Court’s exclusive interpretative jurisdiction may be triggered. According to the GBA, the plaintiffs have not met these requirements.
The GBA maintains that the Constitution’s reference to the “Ghana Bar Association” is clear, unambiguous, and capable of only one interpretation, that the GBA is the sole constitutionally recognized association of lawyers in Ghana. This recognition, the Association insists, is neither discriminatory nor a barrier to the existence of other voluntary professional groups.
“The plaintiffs’ contention does not raise any proper constitutional interpretation or enforcement question,” the GBA argues, dismissing the suit as legally insufficient.