A Research Fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, has urged President John Dramani Mahama not to allow ongoing discussions about a possible third presidential term to overshadow what he believes is an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy.
According to Dr. Osae-Kwapong, President Mahama’s return to office after losing two previous elections presents a rare opportunity for political redemption and statesmanship.
He cautioned that debates over extending presidential tenure should not define the President’s second administration.
“I don’t think this is even the note on which he wants to end his redemption story of having lost two elections, come back, being given the chance to leave us with a good legacy,” he said on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, July 11.
“So no matter the temptations, let me end on this note.”
His comments come amid renewed public debate over whether President Mahama is constitutionally eligible to seek another term after serving two non-consecutive terms in office.
The discussion follows a case before the Supreme Court in which two citizens are seeking an interpretation of Article 66 of the 1992 Constitution, which states that no person shall be elected President for more than two terms.
Dr. Osae-Kwapong argued that a President’s popularity or performance should not be used as a basis for revisiting constitutional term limits.
“If being a good president is the reason why we must ask the court to think about whether two terms actually means two terms different times or consecutively, then what should President Kufuor have done then?” he asked.
He cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, noting that despite enjoying high public approval at the end of his second term, he did not seek to challenge the constitutional limit.
“Because if you think of the state of the country in 2008, and if you think of the fact that in the history of Afrobarometer, no year has received such great ratings about governance, government performance, all of that, then President Kufuor could have easily said, ‘I’ve done a good job.’ Ghanaians have even said it. Let’s ask the courts to try and see if maybe two terms don’t mean, or it means something else. But he didn’t,” he said.
The political scientist maintained that presidential term limits are a fundamental safeguard for democratic governance, ensuring that leaders leave office regardless of how well or poorly they perform.
“For me, the African problem is not one of how many years you get to serve in office, regardless of the good work or otherwise that you do,” he stated.
“The term limit for me is a protection against allowing a good president to exit when the applause is loudest, but also to allow a bad president to exit so they don’t cause any more injury to citizens.”
Dr. Osae-Kwapong further warned against attempts to alter or reinterpret constitutional term limits to extend presidential tenure, citing developments in some African countries as cautionary examples.
“Our neighbours who have been doing constitutional fidgeting, the story makes it very clear that this is not a path we want to go down on,” he said.
