MPs should not be made ministers; that part of the Constitution needs to be changed — Sam Okudzeto

Ghanaian legal practitioner and former Council of State member, Samuel Awuku Okudzeto, says Members of Parliament should not be appointed as ministers.

According to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the President must appoint more than half of his ministers from Parliament.

This implies that since President John Dramani Mahama has decided to govern with 60 ministers, he would need to appoint not less than 31 from Parliament.

But according to the legal luminary, such a provision should be removed from the Constitution so the country can practice proper separation of powers.

Speaking to Accra-based TV3, Sam Okudzeto said he has been advocating for this for a very long time and urged the Constitution Review Committee to address it.

“That is what I am against. I’m saying that the Constitution needs to be looked at from that point of view to ensure the separation of powers. The legislature should be distinct and different from the executive. It has to be looked at.

“So, in this case, we should remove that article that allows the President to select a percentage of MPs. It’s a review that many of us have been calling for over the years,” said the NPP stalwart.

The Constitution also gives the President the power to appoint heads of independent institutions such as the police, EOCO, Electoral Commission, National Intelligence Bureau, and others.

According to Sam Okudzeto, this must also be reviewed because when the President is clothed with too much power, he or she is tempted to misuse it.

“And if you give the President so much power, it’s not because he is dishonest or anything like that. The temptation is there,” he stated.