Manhyia South’s Baffour-Awuah raises concerns over focus of Constitution Review Committee

Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour-Awuah, has expressed concern that the Constitution Review Committee is placing too much emphasis on presidential tenure while paying insufficient attention to reforms within the judicial system.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, Hon Baffour-Awuah stressed that the independence of the Judiciary is critical to Ghana’s democratic framework and must be protected from interference by the Executive. He warned that weakening the Judiciary could reduce it to a subsidiary of the Executive, thereby undermining its role in checking and balancing government power.

He argued that the committee’s priorities appear skewed, particularly in light of its recommendation to extend the presidential term from four to five years. According to him, Ghana’s institutions are not ready for such an extension, adding that the report lacked emotional sentiment and deeper reflection on the country’s governance realities.

Hon Baffour-Awuah maintained that Ghana’s governance challenges should be addressed through legal provisions that ensure continuity of presidential leadership, rather than by extending presidential term limits.

His comments follow the submission of a summary of the Constitution Review Committee’s report to the President, which proposes an extension of the presidential tenure from four to five years.