Gov't didn't show NPP enough respect in constitutional review process – Martin Kpebu

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has criticised the government for what he described as inadequate engagement with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the ongoing constitutional review process.

Speaking on Accra-based JoyNews’ The Pulse on Thursday, September 17, he said the government should have made the NPP a central part of the process, considering the party’s significant support base and the constitutional requirements for approving certain amendments.

He was responding to the NPP’s rejection of the government’s current approach and its call for a Constituent or Consultative Assembly to allow for broader deliberations on the proposed changes.

Kpebu said the government should have anticipated the opposition party’s resistance and engaged it more meaningfully from the outset.

“I mean, the NPP have done what they've done because I don't think they were accorded enough respect. Yeah, speaking bluntly, no government didn't show them enough respect at all. Make them front and the centre because without them, this thing cannot succeed,” he said.

He also questioned the government's decision to accept a proposal to extend the presidential and parliamentary terms from four to five years, arguing that such a major constitutional change required broader consultation.

The government’s position paper, released in July, accepted a five-year presidential and parliamentary term among other proposed reforms.

The private legal practitioner said the constitutional requirements for amendments to entrenched provisions made the NPP’s involvement particularly important.

Under Article 290, such amendments require at least 40% of eligible voters to participate in a referendum, with at least 75% of those voting supporting the proposal.