{"id":20439,"date":"2025-05-13T10:55:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T10:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=20439"},"modified":"2025-05-13T10:55:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T10:55:58","slug":"minority-slams-mahama-over-deliberate-breach-of-constitution-left-ghana-without-acting-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=20439","title":{"rendered":"Minority Slams Mahama Over ‘Deliberate’ Breach of Constitution: \u00a0left Ghana without Acting President"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has launched a scathing attack on President John Dramani Mahama, accusing him of a \u201cdeliberate and egregious violation\u201d of Ghana\u2019s 1992 Constitution for traveling abroad while both the Vice President and Speaker of Parliament were also out of the country.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a strongly worded statement signed by John Darko, Member of Parliament for Suame and Legal Counsel to the Minority, the Caucus condemned what they described as a “calculated” and unconstitutional act that effectively left Ghana without a legally designated Acting President.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe constitutional provisions on presidential succession are explicit: whenever both the President and the Vice President are absent, the Speaker must be sworn in to act as President,\u201d Darko said, referencing Article 60 of the Constitution.<\/p>\n

The Minority further cited the landmark Supreme Court case Asare v. Attorney General, which reinforced that \u201cno situation should exist where the nation is without a constitutionally designated acting head of state.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the statement, Speaker Alban Bagbin departed Ghana on May 8, 2025, with President Mahama and Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang fully aware of one another\u2019s travel plans. Vice President Opoku-Agyemang is reportedly undergoing medical treatment abroad.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile President Mahama was aware of the Speaker\u2019s travel, as well as the Vice President\u2019s earlier departure, he still proceeded with his own trip without ensuring the Speaker was sworn in. This is not just unconstitutional \u2014 it is deliberate,\u201d Darko asserted.<\/p>\n

The Caucus argued that such a move demonstrated the administration\u2019s disregard for the rule of law and accused it of habitually treating the Constitution \u201cas an inconvenience rather than a binding framework.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also accused the government of \u201csystematically undermining the Judiciary,\u201d and linked the absence of constitutional oversight to what they described as weakening judicial independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir continued attacks on the Judiciary and the Chief Justice, both overt and covert, have created a climate that undermines judicial independence and threatens the rule of law,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

In a sharp rebuke, Darko warned that the administration\u2019s failure to follow constitutional procedures has set a dangerous precedent for the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis conduct leaves the nation vulnerable to future constitutional crises. It\u2019s not only reckless \u2014 it\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quoting former U.S. President Barack Obama, the Minority reminded Ghanaians of their role in safeguarding democracy:<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift. But it\u2019s just a piece of parchment. It has no power on its own. We, the people, give it power with our participation, and the choices we make.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has launched a scathing attack on President John Dramani Mahama, accusing him of a \u201cdeliberate and egregious violation\u201d of Ghana\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nMinority Slams Mahama Over 'Deliberate' Breach of Constitution: \u00a0left Ghana without Acting President - Express News Ghana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=20439\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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