Unconfirmed report reaching PrimeNewsGhana indicates that President Akufo-Addo has appointed a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Sophia Adjeibea Adinyira as the new Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Biography of Justice Sophia Ophelia Adjeibea Adinyira:
HER LADYSHIP, MRS. JUSTICE SOPHIA O.A. ADINYIRAÂ is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, a position she has held since March 2006.
Justice Sophia Adinyira was called to practice law as a solicitor and barrister at the Ghana Bar in 1973 having received her law degree at the University of Ghana, Legon, in 1971 and BLÂ in 1973. Â
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She also served as a Judge of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal [UNAT], from July 2009 to June 2016; sitting at New York and Geneva.
Justice Sophia Adinyira is currently a member of the General Legal Council a body responsible for Legal Education in Ghana.
Justice Sophia Adinyira is also the newly appointed chairperson of the Board of Judicial Training of the Judicial Service of Ghana. She previously served on the Judicial Council from 2015 to 2017 and as the Chairperson of the Council for Law Reporting, Ghana from 2015 to 2017 and as a member and chairperson respectively of the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council from 2003 to 2016.
She is a member of the International Association of Women Judges.
Justice Sophia Adinyira has delivered public lectures and papers in Ghana and abroad on various issues, including women empowerment and justice, child protection, juvenile justice, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, constitutional review, law reform, judicial independence and the principle of legality.
However, PrimeNewsGhana’s legal source has explained that the position of a Supreme Court Judge is higher than the EC Chairperson because the EC boss is equivalent to Court of Appeal Judge.
Due to this, if the appointment turns out to be true, Justice Adinyira would have reduced in rank.
The source said, in addition to the aforementioned, Justice Adinyira is 71-years and is due for retirement anytime soon, so it would not be prudent to appoint someone who is due for retirement.
The source explained that among other options that could be considered in the appointment of the EC Chair is that, even a Ghanaian, who does not reside in Ghana but qualify to be the EC Chair, can be nominated for the position.
PrimeNewsGhana’s source explained that the person can be a neutral one who is Ghanaian but does reside in the country.