Constitution Review Committee proposed 3rd presidential term through the backdoor — Kpebu

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has criticised the Constitution Review Committee’s proposal to extend the presidential term from four to five years.

The recommendation was contained in the committee’s report submitted to President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, December 22.

The committee, chaired by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, explained that the proposal followed suggestions from some former presidents and stakeholders.

Prof Prempeh stressed that calls for a third presidential term did not arise during consultations.

However, speaking on Accra-based TV3’s KeyPoints programme on Saturday, December 27, Kpebu argued that the proposal undermines Ghana’s constitutional history and democratic safeguards.

Disagreeing with the committee’s position, Kpebu said the five-year term proposal effectively amounts to an indirect introduction of a third term where the Presidents will end up having a half of the supposed rejected third term.

“They didn’t find space for a third term, but they ended up proposing a third term through the back door, which we cannot accept,” he said.

He argued that the country’s constitutional framers had already rejected a five-year presidential term during the work of the 1992 Consultative Assembly.

According to him, the proposal was debated and overwhelmingly voted down at the time, reflecting the clear will of the people.

“People were very clear that nobody should try a five-year term. It was roundly defeated, and that position has not changed,” Mr Kpebu stated.

He further questioned the committee’s mandate, noting that unlike earlier constitutional review processes, particularly, the Prof Fiadzor committee that involved nationwide voting and broad public engagement, the current committee did not sufficiently consult citizens on such a critical matter.