Isaac Kobina Abban

Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban JSC (1933 – 21 April 2001) was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 1995 and 2001. He was the ninth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation.[1]

Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban
JSC
9th Chief Justice of Ghana
(21st including Gold Coast)
In office
22 February 1995 – 21 April 2001
Appointed byJerry Rawlings
Preceded byPhilip Edward Archer
Succeeded byEdward Kwame Wiredu
Chief Justice of Seychelles
In office
1990–1993
Appointed byFrance-Albert René
Preceded byEarle Edward Seaton
Succeeded byDurai Karunakaran
Electoral Commissioner of Ghana
In office
1978–1978
PresidentGeneral I. K. Acheampong
Preceded byMilitary rule
Succeeded byJoseph Kingsley-Nyinah
Personal details
Born1933
Agona Nkum, Central Region, Gold Coast
DiedApril 21, 2001(2001-04-21) (aged 67–68)
Accra, Ghana
Alma materMfantsipim School
University of Nottingham

Early life and education

Abban was born in 1933 at Agona Nkum in the Central Region. He had his secondary education at Mfantsipim School from 1948 to 1951. He left for the United Kingdom to study law at the University of Nottingham.[2]

Career

He was called to the English bar on 24 June 1958. He returned to Ghana in 1959 and entered private practice until he was called to the bench of the High Court in May 1970.[2]

Electoral Commissioner

Justice Abban was called to the Ghanaian bar on 18 April 1959. While a High Court Judge, he was appointed the electoral commissioner and supervised the controversial 'Union Government (UNIGOV)' referendum on 30 March 1978 during the Supreme Military Council (SMC) era. At a point during the referendum, he went into hiding in fear of his life from the military authorities.[3] This was because he opposed the attempts to rig the UNIGOV referendum by the military SMC government.[4] His successor Justice Kinsgley Nyinah supervised the 1979 election that saw Dr Limann win to become president of Ghana.

Chief Justice

He left for Seychelles where he served as the Chief Justice from 1990 to 1993.[4] On his return to Ghana, he rejoined the Judicial Service of Ghana and was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ghana. On 22 February 1995, he was appointed Chief Justice by the President, Jerry Rawlings.[4]

Death

Justice Abban was due to retire on 1 May 2001, for health reasons.[5] He died a few days before that on 21 April 2001 in Accra, Ghana at the age of 67.[4][6]

See also

Notes
  1. "List of Chief Justices". Official Website. Judicial Service of Ghana. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
  2. "The Weekly Review, Issues 125-137". Stellascope Ltd. 1977: 22. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. "History of Ghana – Post Independence Ghana". 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration of Ghana. Ghana government. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007. In furtherance of the UNIGOV policy, a referendum was held on 30 March 1978 to ascertain the wishes of Ghanaians on the issue. Halfway through the referendum, the Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Justice Isaac Kobina Abban, a judge of the High Court, had to give up his job, flee into hiding apparently to save his life.
  4. "Ghanaian Chief Justice is dead". africast.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
  5. "Chief Justice Retires". General News of Tuesday, 10 April 2001. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 17 April 2007.
  6. "Chief Justice Abban Is Dead". General News of Sunday, 22 April 2001. Ghana Home Page. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
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