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28.06.2017 Opinion

Nana B, The Recalcitrant Mahama's Government And Ghana's Constitution

By Nana Ofori Kissi Ratina
Nana B, The Recalcitrant Mahama's Government And Ghana's Constitution
28.06.2017 LISTEN

The immediate past administration under the stewardship of John Mahama never had respect for the laws of the land. Many of the provisions in the constitution were violated for some reasons known to ex president John Mahama and his appointees.

The past NDC government never upheld the constitution of the State and for that matter, the sovereignty of the State was at stake under Mahama's watch. A clear case is the hosting of the GITMO 2.

Art 1 (1) of the 1992 Forth Republican Constitution of Ghana states

"The sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this constitution". In the famous GITMO 2 saga, one will ask, in whose interest did the then President John Mahama ratified the agreement to accept and host the two world known terrorists in Ghana?

Art 75(2) " A treaty, agreement or convention executed by or under the authority of the President shall be subjected to ratification by

(a) Act of Parliament
(b) a resolution of Parliament supported by more than one-half of all members of Parliament.

This simply written clause which requires no legal technicality when reading was violated by the Mahama led NDC government under the auspices of "yen tie obiaa".

John Mahama brought into Ghana the GITMO 2 without parliamentary approval and to the uttermost surprise of Ghanaians, when the former president was asked about the Guantanamo Bay detainees he brought to Ghana, all he (Mahama) could murmur was " let's have compassion for them".

The New Patriotic Party is said to have been blessed with "Babies with sharp brains" and the final verdict given by the Supreme Court on 22nd June 2017, comes to affirm the intellectual capacity of the youth in NPP.

On 21st January 2016, Henry Nana Boakye - popularly known as Nana B, filed a suit against Mahama's government at the highest court of the land.

After a year and six months, the Supreme Court - the final arbiter of the laws of our motherland ruled in favour of the plaintiff - that, the coming of Gitmo 2 and the continuing hosting of them is unconstitutional.

However, according to former President Mahama, he consulted some religious leaders and security experts before accepting to host them in Ghana. Mahama interfered with the duties of the judiciary with the famous Montie 3 and trampled on parliament with Gitmo 2. Only the executive arm of government was functioning under Mahama's government. No wonder corruption was its prime attribute.

Considering ex president Mahama's justification, one can deduce that ex president Mahama deliberately violated the laws of the land. Ex President John Mahama knew very well that Parliament was not going to approve the coming of Gitmo 2 hence, he decided to take the backdoor - a suicidal move which is among the major factors that led to the fall of NDC in the 2016 elections.

John Mahama did not only violate Art 75, he also violated the Presidential Oath which he sworn before mounting the highest political office of the land.

Excerpts of the Presidential Oath goes "that I will at all times preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the Republic of Ghana".

The youth of Ghana salute Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B) for defending the constitution of Ghana even when he was under no oath to do so. The New Patriotic Party should keep producing " babies with sharp brains" for their services are needed for the development of mother Ghana.

"Our beloved country Ghana, is free forever" - a declaration made by Ghana's first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah meant that, John Mahama cannot collaborate with foreign countries to dictate to Ghanaians. Ghana is a sovereign State and must be accorded the needed respect it deserves.

Long live Ghana
Nana Ofori Kissi Ratina
Atiwa Writer

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