The Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A Plus, has said that initiating a national conversation on presidential term limits could compel political leaders to improve their performance in office.
Recently, A Plus openly called for a third-term presidency for President John Dramani Mahama, insisting that Ghana should move beyond term limits if national development is to be sustained.
Appearing on JoyNews’ AM Show on Wednesday, December 17, the lawmaker noted that the Constitution clearly outlines the procedure for removing or amending presidential term limits, and argued that even discussing such reforms could have a positive impact on governance.
He suggested that the possibility of an additional term could influence the conduct of a sitting president.
“The law says that if you want to remove term limit from the constitution, this is how to go about it. I believe that that conversation alone will get John Mahama to do more than he is doing now,” he said.
A Plus questioned whether former President Nana Akufo-Addo would have governed the way he did if he had the opportunity to seek a third term in office.
“If Akufo-Addo knew that he could have a third term, do you think he would have done the things that he did?” he asked.
He further argued that public dissatisfaction would have prevented the former president from winning another election, regardless of constitutional provisions on term limits.
“If Akufo-Addo had contested in the 2024 election with the same performance, he would have gotten about 10 per cent of the vote. There is no way Akufo-Addo would have won,” he said.
According to the Gomoa Central MP, Ghanaian voters have consistently shown that they are willing to vote against leaders they are unhappy with.
“Ghanaians would have voted against him, and we have shown clearly that if Ghanaians don’t like you, they don’t like you. So term limit wouldn’t do anything for anybody,” he stated.
A Plus also maintained that the Constitution provides a clear legal pathway for amending entrenched provisions, including term limits, and said such processes could be pursued if there is sufficient interest.
“If we have to test the law, the law is the law. Sometimes we can do it because we want to do it. The law says that if you want to change an entrenched constitution, this is how to go about it. You can test it. It will go down in history,” he added.
- President Commissions 36.5 Million Dollars Hospital In The Tain District
- You Will Not Go Free For Killing An Hard Working MP – Akufo-Addo To MP’s Killer
- I Will Lead You To Victory – Ato Forson Assures NDC Supporters
Visit Our Social Media for More
About Author
