Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to withhold assent to the Tribunals Bill, 2026, to allow for broad national consultations, arguing that the proposed legislation could fundamentally alter Ghana’s justice delivery system and undermine public confidence in the judiciary. Addressing the nation in a live television broadcast, Dr Bawumia described his appeal as a non-partisan effort to safeguard the country’s democratic and judicial institutions, urging the President to “pause, and let the nation talk” before signing the Bill into law.
Dr Bawumia, who is also the Flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), criticised the manner in which Parliament passed the Bill, noting that the House waived the mandatory one-day interval between the Consideration Stage and the Third Reading despite objections from the Minority and organised labour. He said the Trades Union Congress (TUC) had called for the withdrawal of the Bill, warning that in its current form it could become “a potent tool for weaponising justice delivery.” He also questioned the decision to proceed with the legislation before publishing the Constitution Review Committee’s report, which he said recommended removing Regional Tribunals from the 1992 Constitution because the High Court had already assumed their jurisdiction.
The former Vice President maintained that Ghana’s judicial challenges should be addressed by appointing more judges, expanding courtroom infrastructure and accelerating the digitisation of court processes rather than creating what he described as a parallel justice system. He expressed concern over provisions allowing non-lawyers to sit on panels hearing criminal matters, saying they could revive painful memories associated with tribunals in Ghana’s history. Dr Bawumia called on President Mahama to withhold assent to the Bill, publish the Constitution Review Committee’s report and convene a national dialogue involving the Ghana Bar Association, organised labour, civil society organisations, political parties and the Judiciary, stressing that reforms to the country’s judicial architecture should be built on broad national consensus rather than parliamentary numbers alone.
