Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Government Spokesperson, has described the renewed debate over a possible third-term bid by President John Dramani Mahama as political propaganda by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He said President Mahama had consistently maintained that he would not seek a third term in office and had reiterated that position on both local and international platforms.
“President Mahama has been clear on it. It was on an international platform in Singapore; he said so. About three weeks ago, he said the same,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu said.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Tuesday, August 4, Mr Kwakye Ofosu said there was no indication that President Mahama had changed his position on the issue.
“There’s no indication, as of now, that President Mahama has changed his mind on the matter,” he said.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu acknowledged that the Supreme Court’s determination of a case seeking interpretation of the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits could provide further legal clarity.
He, however, maintained that the Government’s understanding was that the constitutional provisions on the matter were clear.
“Maybe the Supreme Court will bring further clarity to them. But as far as we are concerned, it’s very clear. And there’s no doubt about it,” he said.
The debate over presidential term limits has resurfaced following legal proceedings before the Supreme Court seeking an interpretation of provisions of the 1992 Constitution relating to the eligibility of a President to seek another term in office.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu said the issue gained prominence during the 2024 general election campaign when the NPP raised concerns about the possibility of President Mahama seeking a third term.
“What happened was that in the heat of the 2024 elections, the NPP somehow saw that all was lost. So they came up with this very desperate bit of propaganda about the third term. But it was never really an issue,” he said.
He reiterated that there had never been any uncertainty regarding either the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits or President Mahama’s publicly stated position on the matter.
