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The suspension of the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, effectual 22nd April, has sparked aggravated ineligible and governmental debate, with President John Mahama and the Council of State coming nether crisp scrutiny successful caller days.
At the forefront of the disapproval is the enactment of the main absorption party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which has expressed beardown reservations astir the directive.
While the enactment continues to protestation the decision, respective elder figures—including the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin—have alleged a expansive conspiracy to manipulate the judiciary successful bid to legitimise a imaginable third-term bid for President Mahama.
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This allegation has been echoed crossed aggregate media platforms by different salient enactment members, including the General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, and the National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye (popularly known arsenic Nana B).
ALSO READ: Supreme Court dismisses Old Tafo MP’s injunction exertion against CJ removal process
The NPP reinforced their claims pursuing the President’s information of 7 justices to the Supreme Court connected 29th April 2025.
The contention prompted the NPP, successful collaboration with 4 different governmental parties—the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the People’s National Party (PNP), and the Ghana Union Movement (GUM)—to signifier a protest connected Monday, 5th May, dubbed #SaveTheJudiciaryDemo.
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Response from the Majority Leader
However, the claims person been firmly denied by the Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, who refuted assertions that President Mahama is pursuing a third-term agenda.
According to him, the communicative is simply a fabrication by the absorption NPP and has ne'er been a taxable of treatment wrong authorities oregon the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
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Reactions
The allegation has since generated wide nationalist debate, with renowned governmental figures joining the discourse.
Notable among them is the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, who stated successful a Facebook station connected 25th April:
President John Dramani Mahama is not and volition not effort to tally for a 3rd term. Ignore immoderate wayward municipality criers suggesting so.
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Similarly, Mussa K. Dankwah, Executive Director and Head of Global Research astatine Global InfoAnalytics, besides weighed successful connected the matter, urging the President to cull immoderate calls for a third-term bid.
In a Facebook station dated 28th April, helium besides wrote:
Even if Ghanaians accidental yes, I would counsel Mahama to garbage to spell successful that direction. You indispensable not ever spell with nationalist sentiment connected specified matters. Resist the temptation if you genuinely judge successful bully governance. Build successors truthful you don’t go Kagame, due to the fact that decease volition ever punctual you that you volition not beryllium present forever.
Constitutional Provision and Legal Opinion
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana intelligibly outlines successful Article 66(2):
A idiosyncratic shall not beryllium elected to clasp bureau arsenic President of Ghana for much than 2 terms.
But are determination immoderate ineligible loopholes that could beryllium exploited to alteration a 3rd term? Pulse News consulted law lawyer Paul Kumi for his ineligible insight.
He clarified:
Article 66 is an entrenched clause successful the 1992 Constitution, meaning it tin lone beryllium amended via a referendum successful which a bulk of voters enactment the projected change.
He further clarified:
At nary constituent does the judiciary play a relation successful specified a process. I bash not cognize wherever these allegations are coming from. The instrumentality is clear: a president is constricted to 2 terms. Under the existent constitution, determination is nary ineligible way for President Mahama to prosecute a 3rd term.
Perspective from a Political Analyst
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Political expert Dr Jonathan Asante Otchere besides spoke to Pulse News, expressing disappointment implicit what helium described arsenic the NPP’s “ridiculous” allegations.
He stated:
It is an aberration connected the portion of the number to proceed successful specified a manner. I besides judge immoderate of them are positioning themselves for aboriginal governmental opportunities should they triumph the adjacent elections.
Dr Otchere dismissed the claims, urging the NPP to absorption its efforts connected much constructive governmental engagement.
ALSO READ: NPP number accuses Mahama of ‘judicial coup’ implicit CJ Torkonoo’s suspension
Conclusion
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With tensions precocious and governmental rhetoric intensifying, the statement implicit President Mahama’s alleged third-term ambitions continues to disagreement nationalist opinion.
However, law provisions and adept analyses look to affirm that specified a determination remains legally intolerable nether Ghana’s existent framework.
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