Minority Warns Mahama: Don’t Sign Tribunals Bill — It Revives PNDC‑Style Justice

The Minority in Parliament is urging President John Dramani Mahama to withhold assent to the newly passed Tribunals Bill, warning that the legislation is deeply flawed and poses serious risks to Ghana’s justice system.

Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Kwame Anyimadu‑Antwi, says the President has a “legacy‑defining opportunity” to reject the bill, which he argues resurrects tribunal structures reminiscent of the AFRC and PNDC eras.

Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, the Asante Akim Central MP disclosed that the Minority will soon release a detailed statement outlining what it considers dangerous gaps in the bill before formally petitioning the President.

“We would come out with a press release telling Ghanaians the wrong things in the bill. And then we would also ask President Mahama, whom we all think should leave a good legacy, not to sign this bill because it’s no good for Ghana,” he said.

Anyimadu‑Antwi dismissed government’s justification that the tribunals would help clear case backlogs and tackle illegal mining, insisting the Chief Justice already has constitutional authority to create specialised courts without introducing a parallel tribunal system.

He also criticised changes made during the bill’s consideration, including what he described as weakened educational qualification requirements for tribunal panel members. Some provisions, he argued, are outright unconstitutional.

The Minority warns that if President Mahama assents to the bill despite their objections, they will consider seeking judicial review.

Parliament passed the Tribunals Bill amid strong Minority resistance, with the caucus cautioning that the new structure could create confusion within the justice system. The Majority maintains the bill strengthens the legal framework and addresses concerns raised during deliberations.