'Every Ghanaian must reject attempts to make presidential tenure five years' — Elvis Darko

The Managing Editor of the Newscenta Newspaper, Elvis Darko, has opposed the government's decision to accept a proposal to extend the presidential term of office from four years to five years, urging Ghanaians to reject the move if it is subjected to a referendum.

His comments follow the government's acceptance of the recommendation by the Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, to extend the tenure of both the President and Members of Parliament from four to five years.

The proposal was announced by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, on Thursday, July 30, as part of the government's position on the Constitutional Review Committee's recommendations.

"All Ghanaians, if it comes to a referendum, everybody must reject any extension of tenure for Members of Parliament or the President. It's needless. It's a waste of time," Mr Darko said on Accra-based Channel One TV's Breakfast Daily programme on Monday, August 3.

He rejected the argument that an additional year in office would enable governments to deliver more effectively, arguing that the problem lies in governance priorities rather than the length of a presidential term.

"If you have four years and you are not able to do what you want to do, then one year is what will enable you to do it? It doesn't make any sense. You can give that government 20 years; it will go nowhere because the government is just touching things small, small, small, and that's why we go nowhere," he argued.

The journalist further asserted that successive governments have failed to focus on strategic sectors capable of driving economic transformation, choosing instead to spread resources across too many initiatives without achieving meaningful long-term development.

The government, however, has defended the proposal, arguing that a five-year term would provide a more realistic timeframe for the formulation, implementation and assessment of government policies.

The current four-year cycle, according to the presidency, is significantly constrained by transition activities at the beginning of a new administration and election-related activities in its final year.