{"id":107832,"date":"2025-12-21T01:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T01:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=107832"},"modified":"2025-12-21T01:15:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T01:15:00","slug":"failure-to-impeach-akufo-addo-over-galamsey-a-national-tragedy-united-party-legal-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=107832","title":{"rendered":"Failure to impeach Akufo-Addo over galamsey a national tragedy \u2013 United Party legal chief"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Legal Director of the United Party (UP), Andrew Appiah Danquah, has delivered a scathing critique of Ghana\u2019s political and legal establishment for what he describes as a collective failure to impeach former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his role in legalising mining in forest reserves.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, December 20, Mr. Appiah Danquah called the decision a \u201cheinous crime against the environment\u201d and condemned the nation\u2019s inability to hold the former leader constitutionally accountable.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf I have one regret or one disappointment about all of us as Ghanaians, then it was in our inability or our refusal to impeach Nana Addo when he committed this heinous crime and how he deliberately fueled galamsey,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

His comments follow the recent repeal of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, a controversial regulation passed in 2022 that granted the sitting President discretionary powers to permit mining activities within protected forest reserves.<\/p>\n

The repeal, formalized under the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Revocation Instrument, 2025, was successfully passed by Parliament on December 10, 2025, after months of pressure from environmental groups, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens.<\/p>\n

Mr. Appiah Danquah, a respected legal practitioner and environmental advocate, argued that no president prior to 2022 had the legal authority to allow mining in forest reserves\u2014a position that L.I. 2462 fundamentally altered.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPrior to 2022, the President of Ghana did not have power to permit mining in forest reserves. That was the essence of that L.I. The essence of that L.I was to give the president power to permit mining in forest reserves,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He described the former president\u2019s decision to both seek and utilize such powers as a betrayal of Ghana\u2019s legal and environmental integrity.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNow to think that the President, Nana Addo will want power to allow mining in forest reserves itself is a fundamental crime on Ghana,\u201d he charged.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Mr. Appiah Danquah did not hold back in his criticism of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), accusing members of the party of lacking the moral authority to speak on the galamsey (illegal mining) crisis that has plagued Ghana\u2019s natural landscapes, polluted rivers, and devastated farming communities.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI can\u2019t believe he has the cojones, he has the moral authority; anybody in NPP to speak about galamsey,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Instead of defending their record, he urged party members to show remorse for what he described as an environmental and moral failure of historic proportions.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat they should do is wear sackcloth, look for ashes, put the ashes on their heads and bow their heads down in shame for the sin they committed against Ghana,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The passage of L.I. 2462 in 2022 sparked widespread outrage among environmentalists, with many warning that it would accelerate deforestation, threaten biodiversity, and undermine Ghana\u2019s longstanding efforts to protect its forest reserves.<\/p>\n

Under the now-repealed instrument, the President could authorize mining concessions in forests previously deemed untouchable\u2014areas considered critical for water regulation, wildlife protection, and climate resilience.<\/p>\n

Since its passage, several forest reserves\u2014including parts of the Atewa, Bia, and Tano Offin forests\u2014had come under threat from mining interests, prompting street protests, lawsuits, and international concern.<\/p>\n

Although the repeal has been welcomed as a legislative victory, critics say it comes too late to reverse the environmental damage already done.<\/p>\n

They are now calling for a comprehensive review of all concessions granted under L.I. 2462, and for stronger constitutional and legal safeguards to prevent future abuse of executive power in environmental matters.<\/p>\n

Mr. Appiah Danquah\u2019s remarks reflect a growing sentiment among sections of the Ghanaian public that accountability must not end with repeal. <\/p>\n

He is among a rising chorus demanding retrospective investigations, and in some quarters, calls for a truth and accountability commission on environmental governance under the Akufo-Addo administration.<\/p>\n

Though no formal impeachment proceedings were ever initiated against the former President, the debate surrounding his environmental legacy is far from over.<\/p>\n

As Ghana continues to grapple with the devastating consequences of illegal and poorly regulated mining, many believe this moment offers an opportunity for national reckoning\u2014and a chance to reestablish the rule of law in the country\u2019s environmental management.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"court\"The Legal Director of the United Party (UP), Andrew Appiah Danquah, has delivered a scathing critique of Ghana\u2019s political and legal establishment for what he describes as a collective failure to impeach former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his role in legalising mining in forest reserves. Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, December [\u2026]<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1883,117,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107832\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}