National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has called for a broader national conversation on presidential term limits, insisting that any debate on the subject should be centered on Ghana’s democratic future rather than speculation about President John Dramani Mahama seeking a third term.
Speaking in an interview on Top Story on Joy News, Mr. Asiedu Nketia said he was concerned that public discussions surrounding presidential term limits had become overly personalized, reducing a constitutional issue of national importance to political arguments about one individual.
According to him, laws should never be crafted with a particular individual in mind, warning that such an approach could undermine sound constitutional governance.
“The underlying principle is whether the nation should remove term limits or retain our constitutional presidential term limits. It is not about President Mahama,” he stated.
He argued that public discourse has become unnecessarily simplistic, where those who oppose the idea of removing term limits are immediately perceived as being against President Mahama, while those who support a discussion are accused of backing a third-term agenda.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia explained that Ghana’s presidential term limits were deliberately introduced under the 1992 Constitution to guarantee the peaceful transfer of political power.
He noted that before the Fourth Republic, Ghana had never experienced a peaceful transfer of power from one elected government to another political party.
According to him, members of the Consultative Assembly carefully considered mechanisms that would strengthen democracy, eventually settling on presidential term limits as one of the key safeguards.
He recalled that former President Jerry John Rawlings remained one of the country’s most popular political figures when he completed his constitutional tenure, suggesting that without term limits, he could have remained in office.
Similarly, he argued that former President John Agyekum Kufuor also exited office while enjoying significant popularity and might have secured another electoral victory had the Constitution permitted him to contest again.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia said these constitutional restrictions made it possible for Ghana to witness successive peaceful transfers of power between political parties, describing the development as one of the country’s greatest democratic achievements.
The NDC Chairman stressed that the real national question should be whether Ghana’s democratic institutions have become sufficiently strong to survive without constitutional term limits.
He cautioned against removing what he described as democratic “guardrails” prematurely.
Using a construction analogy, he likened presidential term limits to the wooden framework used to support concrete structures while they harden.
According to him, removing the supporting framework before the concrete has fully set could cause the entire structure to collapse.
“If you remove the woodwork prematurely, the whole thing collapses,” he explained, adding that Ghana must carefully assess whether its democracy has matured enough before contemplating such constitutional changes.
He also warned that any move to abolish presidential term limits could expose Ghana to the kind of political instability witnessed in some African countries where constitutional amendments enabled leaders to extend their stay in office.
Referring to developments in Guinea, he questioned how Ghana would distinguish itself from countries where presidents removed term limits, remained in office through disputed elections, and eventually faced military coups.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia dismissed ongoing claims that President John Dramani Mahama harbours intentions of seeking another presidential term.
He questioned why some individuals continue to speculate about a third-term bid despite the President’s repeated public declarations that he has no interest in extending his constitutional stay in office.
According to him, it would be illogical to suggest that President Mahama would become angry with anyone who supports the very position he has publicly and consistently stated.
He made the remarks while responding to comments allegedly made during a church prophecy suggesting that if he became involved in debates about President Mahama’s third-term issue, he could lose the President’s support in any future political ambition.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia said he had never announced any intention to contest any election, making the prophecy difficult to understand.
He further questioned why any spiritual message would single him out as the only person who could not participate in a national constitutional debate involving over 34 million Ghanaians.
The NDC National Chairman strongly defended President Mahama’s credibility, insisting that the President has consistently demonstrated honesty in public life.
He contrasted President Mahama with the New Patriotic Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, arguing that Mahama’s public statements reflect his genuine intentions.
“President Mahama is credible. When he says yes, he means yes. When he says no, he means no,” Mr. Asiedu Nketia stated.
He argued that suggesting the President publicly rejects a third term while secretly pursuing one portrays him as dishonest and untrustworthy, a characterization he rejected.
According to him, such narratives unfairly attempt to create the impression that President Mahama is deceiving Ghanaians.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia also suggested that the current debate resembles political events leading up to the end of former President Jerry John Rawlings’ administration in 2000.
He recalled that widespread public speculation at the time suggested Rawlings would refuse to hand over power despite constitutional requirements.
The resulting debate, he said, shifted national attention away from policy issues to whether Rawlings intended to remain in office.
According to him, the pressure eventually compelled Rawlings to publicly declare at Swedru that he would support his Vice President’s presidential bid rather than seek another term himself.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia said that declaration later became politicized and contributed to divisions within the political landscape.
He suggested that similar attempts are now being made to divert national attention from substantive governance issues by fueling unnecessary speculation over President Mahama’s constitutional intentions.
He maintained that the discussion on presidential term limits should remain a national constitutional conversation focused on protecting Ghana’s democratic gains rather than being driven by personalities or political propaganda.
By 1960news.com
