The Minority in Parliament says it is considering initiating impeachment proceedings against President John Dramani Mahama.
The group has strongly condemned what it describes as a flagrant violation of the 1992 Constitution, following the simultaneous absence of the President, Vice President, and Speaker of Parliament from the country—without an Acting President being sworn in.
In a press release issued on Monday, May 12, 2025, the Minority noted that all three top government officials were abroad at the same time, which they claim contravenes Article 60 of the Constitution.
According to the Constitution, the Speaker of Parliament must be sworn in to act as President when neither the President nor the Vice President is available.
At the time of the statement, Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman was in the UK for medical treatment, and President John Dramani Mahama was attending the African Union Debt Conference in Togo. The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, who should have assumed the role of Acting President, was also out of the country.
Furthermore, the Chief Justice—who is constitutionally expected to assume presidential responsibilities when all three officials are unavailable—is currently under suspension. Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo’s suspension, the Minority noted, rendered her unable to step in.
The Minority accused the government of treating the Constitution as “an inconvenience rather than a binding framework,” describing the situation as a “deliberate and calculated” breach.
Speaking in an interview with Joy News on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, the Minority’s Legal Counsel, John Darko—Member of Parliament for Suame—called on Ghanaians to condemn the president’s actions. He emphasized that the Minority is prepared to invoke constitutional provisions to remove President Mahama from office if necessary.
“As people of Ghana, we must all fight against this act of the President,” Darko said. “The problem is that at the time the President was leaving, the Speaker of Parliament had already left. So when the President chose to travel, he knew—or at the very least ought to have known—that his departure would create a vacuum and constitute a breach of the Constitution. But Emperor Mr. President decided, ‘I am the President and I can do whatever I like—damn the consequences,’ and left the country.
“Is that why we voted for the President—to violate our Constitution? We will keep bringing this up, and at the appropriate time, if we must invoke the impeachment provisions, we will do so. We will not sit idly by while the Constitution entrusted to us is violated without consequences.”
Source: Ghanaweb