Gomoa Central MP Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A Plus, has rejected a proposal to extend the tenure of the President and Members of Parliament from four to five years.
A Plus said he would not only vote against the proposal but would actively campaign against it if it comes before Ghanaians for a decision.
While acknowledging the work of the Constitutional Review Commission, he said he disagreed with its recommendation on extending presidential and parliamentary terms.
Rather than five-year terms, A Plus said he favours shorter political cycles that would require elected officials to return to voters more frequently and demonstrate what they have achieved.
He suggested terms of between two and three years, coupled with the removal of presidential term limits.
According to him, frequent elections could provide elected leaders with a stronger incentive to perform because their continued stay in office would depend directly on their record.
A Plus argued that under the current two-term presidential arrangement, leaders can become less motivated during their final term because they no longer have to seek re-election.
He said this could affect the pace and quality of development, particularly when leaders do not have the same personal commitment to completing major projects.
The MP pointed to President John Dramani Mahama as an example, saying he believes Mahama could have achieved more if he had been eligible to seek another term.
“If John Mahama had another term, I think that he would have done more.”
A Plus maintained that he would rather see politicians face voters regularly based on their performance than remain in office for extended periods simply because the Constitution guarantees their tenure.
He said his own experience in Parliament had convinced him that meaningful work could be achieved within a relatively short period, even with limited resources.
A Plus said he has served as MP for less than two years and has already undertaken several initiatives in Gomoa Central, despite not having a personal budget to execute projects.
He therefore rejected the argument that shorter political terms would automatically prevent MPs from delivering results.
“I’ve been in Parliament for less than two years, and I don’t remember, sometimes I find it difficult to count the things that I’ve done in less than two years. And I don’t have a budget.”
He urged Ghanaians to assess elected officials by what they accomplish rather than how long they remain in office, insisting that political accountability should remain at the centre of any constitutional reforms.
