John Dramani Mahama, the flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the general election on December 7, 2024, has said that if he is elected president in the pending vote, he will seek a review of the 1992 constitution. He reiterated his determination to continue the process.
βAs the leader of the National Democratic Congress, if elected president in December 2024, I will focus on strengthening the governance system, protecting the rights of the people; ) We would like to reiterate our determination to continue the various processes towards the implementation of the White Paper.” Combating Corruption.
βThis reform will reduce excessive executive influence, end the creeping politicization of state institutions, reduce excessive spending on Article 71 officials and create a gap between them and other categories of workers. The aim is to close the unacceptable disparities in the workforce and strengthen the fundamental rights of workers, all citizens,β Mahama said.
The assurance was contained in a statement issued by former President Mahama in Accra on Sunday to commemorate Ghana’s Constitution Day. A day set aside to honor the Fourth Republic.
The constitutional review process, which began in 2010 under the late President John Evans Attah Mills, suffered a blow in 2014 with a lawsuit by US-based Ghanaian lawyer Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare. They argued that the Review Committee usurped Congress’s authority in its activities.
However, the case was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2015 by a 5-2 majority, with Professor Asare seeking an order directing then President John Mahama and state government agencies to permanently stop the review process from proceeding. ‘s prayers were cancelled.
According to the former president, democratic governance, although imperfect, is good for Ghana and gives him hope for sustained progress in Ghana, as well as where the country is stumbling and how it has achieved gains. It provides an opportunity to collectively think about whether something can be solidified.
“True democracy is more than elections. It must improve governance, increase individual freedom, and most importantly, guarantee a decent quality of life for its citizens,” he said. emphasized.
The former President rallied the people to uphold their collective responsibility to uphold the country’s democracy and called on the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government to continue to violate democratic rights under its regime. He asked them to exercise restraint.
“As happened in the 2020 elections, thugs and rogue elements within the security services were used to disrupt elections in some parts of the country, resulting in the loss of eight lives,” the NDC leader said. This will forever be remembered as a day of infamy for Ghana.” It is an indelible stain on our democratic credentials established during the last 32 years of constitutional rule. β
He said that despite three years after the tragic loss of life at the polling booth, the perpetrators of these βmurdersβ are still active, βour President Nana Akufo-Addo. “He has not expressed a single word of sympathy to the bereaved family,” he said, adding that it was outrageous. Even as they walk as free men, they still cling to positions of authority and power.
The NDC flag bearer said the government had a duty to ensure peaceful elections this year and needed to realize that even the loss of a single Ghanaian life would not be tolerated.
βI urge all Ghanaians to exercise eternal vigilance as we prepare for elections later this year to ensure that no abuse of the system occurs and that only the freely exercised choice of the people prevails.β Stated.