NPP Alleges Mahama Secret Bid To Extend Mahama’s Tenure

Opposition party claims Supreme Court case on presidential term limits is politically motivated, but President Mahama maintains he is not seeking another term.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused President John Dramani Mahama of orchestrating a covert campaign to pave the way for a third presidential term, alleging that a pending Supreme Court case seeking the interpretation of constitutional term limits is part of a broader political agenda. Addressing a press conference, the NPP’s National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, claimed the legal action before the Supreme Court was not an independent constitutional exercise but a politically sponsored attempt to create an avenue for President Mahama to contest the 2028 presidential election.

According to him, despite the President’s public insistence that he has no interest in seeking another term, the circumstances surrounding the case suggest otherwise. “A veiled third-term agenda orchestrated by President Mahama himself. He is the one behind it. You ask President Mahama, ‘Oh, I am not interested. There are some applications before the Supreme Court. Whatever the Supreme Court decides, it is not my issue.’ We must fight against this,” Nana B stated.

He further warned that any judicial interpretation of Article 66 of the 1992 Constitution that departs from what he described as the clear constitutional limit of two presidential terms could have serious consequences for the country’s democratic stability. “Any attempt to introduce any weird interpretation regarding Article 66 would throw Ghana into political turmoil. Two terms is two terms. It is dangerous,” he cautioned.

The NPP official also alleged that the legal applications before the apex court were politically sponsored by individuals aligned with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that President Mahama was aware of and directly connected to the initiative. “And trust me, I can tell you on authority that His Excellency the President knows about this. He is behind this. And all of these applications before the Supreme Court, they are politically sponsored,” he alleged.

The controversy stems from a case filed before the Supreme Court by Ganiwu Alhassan, a teacher from Kpandai in the Northern Region. The suit seeks a constitutional interpretation of Article 66, specifically asking the court to determine whether a person who has previously served two separate, non-consecutive terms as President is eligible to contest the presidency again. The application has generated public debate over the scope of Ghana’s constitutional provisions on presidential tenure, although the Supreme Court is yet to deliver its interpretation.

President Mahama has consistently denied any intention of pursuing a third term. He has publicly maintained that he respects the constitutional framework governing presidential tenure and is not seeking to remain in office beyond what the Constitution permits. The NPP’s allegations however add a new political dimension to the legal proceedings, with the opposition urging vigilance to safeguard the constitutional limit on presidential terms while awaiting the Supreme Court’s determination on the matter.

Source: Citi News
Author: Joyce Owusu