The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has appointed former Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood unto the Council of State.
This follows her retirement by close of Thursday, June 8, 2017.
[contextly_sidebar id=”l5SjSaE9YtzYkUfzOqktgFGedXggjech”]Her appointment was announced in Parliament on Thursday by the Speaker, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye.
President Akufo-Addo had earlier sworn-in 24 members of the Council of State, leaving one last seat which per Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, was supposed to be occupied by “one person who has previously held the office of Chief Justice” pursuant to approval of Parliament.
The president’s nomination notice read by the Speaker explained that, as at the time the 24 were being sworn-in, there was no living former Chief Justice.
“I could not make that appointment as there was no living former Chief Justice…From 8th June 2017, the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Wood, will retire from the bench. She has concerted to be nominated for membership of the Council of State if the consultation with Parliament is successful. I therefore nominated her to fill the last remaining vacant seat on the Council of State.”
The President further urged Parliament to quickly proceed with processes involved with the approval “to enable her [Georgina Wood] take her place on the Council as soon as possible.”
NDC nearly forced me to resign under Mills
Georgina Theodora Wood, earlier revealed how she endured heated calls on her to resign during the late President John Evans Atta Mills’ administration.
Speaking at a thanksgiving Service to celebrate her 70th birthday, at the Ringway Assemblies of God church in Accra, Georgina Wood said for the support and encouragement of Justice Jones Dotse, a Justice of the Supreme Court, she would have resigned.
“…Can you imagine; a full vessel, an array of the men and women who matter at the time with the press in full array asking you to resign,” she said, adding that a message she received on her phone also comforted her hence her decision to carry on.
“Each single one of you added value to my life. You’re the people who gave me hope and helped us to succeed… that is why I don’t forget Justice Dotse. He has stood by me and has received some of the beatings through no fault of his, except he was helping to do God’s work… It will be difficult on my part that as soon as I exit I forget; I will not. I pray that all the good plans he (Dotse) has God helps him to realize,” she added.
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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