The Secretary to the Constitutional Review Committee, Dr Rainer Akumperigya, has revealed that all former presidents, along with other key stakeholders, have been consulted on whether Ghana’s four-year presidential term should be extended.
Speaking on Prime Insight on JoyPrime on Saturday, August 30, Dr Akumperigya explained that the committee has engaged experts, civil society groups, academics, and individuals with close knowledge of the constitution.
“We have experts, academia, people who have worked and cut their teeth in these areas, CSOs, and individuals who have invested a lot of energy. We have also had discussions with people who, by virtue of their close proximity to the constitution—such as former ministers—have deep insights,” he noted.
According to him, the consultations also involved Ghana’s presidents, past and present.
“We have had discussions with every living president—President Kufuor, President Akufo-Addo, the sitting president himself was a stakeholder—and all of them shared opinions on this matter,” Dr Akumperigya disclosed.
He explained that one of the recurring concerns raised had to do with the first and last years of a president’s term.
“The view expressed by the majority was that in the first year, the president, having been elected and sworn into office, is still assembling his cabinet and government. And in the last year, our practice has been that governance is often distracted by political activity and electioneering,” he said.
When asked if this meant there was a broad consensus among the former presidents and other eminent persons that the four-year term may not be sufficient, Dr Akumperigya confirmed that it was a major topic of discussion.
“Yes, it certainly came up—not all the ex-presidents, not all the presidents—but it was raised. I don’t want to mention names, but the report will capture all of that. It came up among the presidents, eminent persons, and even consultants who worked on the 1992 Constitution. So, it is definitely one area we are looking at,” he added.
Source: Clara Seshie