Member of the Movement for Change, Solomon Owusu, says some Ghanaians would not have allowed former President John Mahama to seek a third term even if he had attempted it.
Speaking on Prime Insight on JoyPrime on Saturday, August 30, Mr Owusu described suggestions of a third-term bid as “needless,” stressing that Ghana’s Constitution makes such a move impossible.
“I was very surprised to hear people conjecture that the president was thinking about running for a third term. When the Constitution is so clear, some of us would have chased him out.
He has no business even contemplating contesting for a third term. Two terms are enough for anybody who wants to do serious business with this country,” he stated.
He added that national attention should be placed on strengthening institutions rather than fixating on individuals.
“The focus must not be on the president. The focus must be on the state. That is why when you read the directive principles of state policy, Article 36 is very clear. It mentions the state.
So instead of focusing on the president, we must focus on building stronger institutions so that whoever occupies the position is implementing policies outlined by the state, and then we will not feel their personal influence,” Mr Owusu explained.
He further noted that Ghana’s history has consistently safeguarded the two-term limit.
“There is a reason why the 1969 Constitution made it clear that every president must have two terms, and this was repeated in the 1992 Constitution,” he said.
Mr Owusu also questioned why some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) were driving the conversation, when they had previously defeated President Mahama in elections.
“Yes, I thought it was coming from the opposition, especially the NPP. They were pushing the agenda. But I found it very interesting because here was President John Mahama, whom the party claimed they defeated in 2012 and even challenged at the Supreme Court.
This was the same person they beat convincingly in 2016 by almost a million votes. So if he even had the intention of contesting for a third term, I would think the opposition should be happy, because they believe he is no match for them,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Mahama has made it clear that he will not seek a third term, putting an end to the speculations.
Source: Clara Seshie
ALSO READ:
