The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to establish a Constituent or Consultative Assembly to deliberate on proposed amendments to Ghana’s 1992 Constitution before the proposals are presented to Parliament and subsequently subjected to a referendum.
The opposition party argues that the proposed constitutional reforms in Ghana go far beyond routine amendments, noting that the proposals affect 147 of the Constitution’s 299 Articles and introduce approximately 59 new provisions.
According to the NPP, the scale of the proposed changes amounts to a significant restructuring of Ghana’s constitutional and governance system.
NPP Demands Broader Consultation on Constitutional Reform
The NPP presented its position on the proposed constitutional amendments at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
The party’s position was presented by the Chairman of the NPP Policy-Coordination Committee and Ofoase-Ayirebi Member of Parliament, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
The party said its position was informed by a report prepared by an ad-hoc committee chaired by former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, which was subsequently approved by the NPP National Council.
The NPP said the government had rejected or modified more than half of the recommendations contained in the report of the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh.
The party therefore called on the government to engage organised labour, civil society organisations, professional associations, traditional leaders and other stakeholders before finalising the constitutional reform process.
“The Constitution is not the property of the NDC or of the NPP. It belongs to the people of Ghana,” the NPP stated.
NPP Raises Concerns Over Major Constitutional Proposals
The opposition party said several of the disputed proposals have significant implications for Ghana’s governance system.
Among the issues highlighted are:
- The proposed extension of the presidential term from four to five years.
- Changes to the size and composition of Parliament.
- The appointment of Members of Parliament to the Executive.
- The eligibility of MPs to serve as ministers.
- The selection of District Chief Executives.
- The independence and financing of constitutional oversight institutions.
The NPP argued that such issues require extensive consultations involving political parties and other stakeholders to achieve a broad national consensus.
The party cited concerns expressed by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform and the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) regarding the current constitutional review process.
The Citizens’ Platform, which comprises more than 100 civil society organisations, unions and professional groups, has called for the introduction of a Roadmap Act, a temporary pause on certain Bills before Parliament and wider stakeholder participation.
The Ghana Bar Association has similarly advocated for a Constituent Assembly to deliberate on the proposed constitutional changes before they are presented to voters in a referendum.
NPP Says It Supports Some Constitutional Amendments
The NPP stressed that its opposition is not against constitutional reform in principle.
The party said it supports amendments to certain provisions of the 1992 Constitution, pointing to its participation in the 2010 constitutional review process and its earlier Peduase Report.
However, the party rejected what it described as the government’s current approach of preparing amendment Bills without further negotiations over areas of disagreement.
The NPP said it would not support the proposed constitutional amendments in Parliament or at a referendum unless a Consultative Assembly or another mechanism capable of building negotiated consensus is established.
Article 290 Referendum Requirements
The NPP also drew attention to the constitutional requirements governing amendments to entrenched provisions under Article 290 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The party said at least 40 percent of registered voters must participate in the referendum, while at least 75 percent of those who vote must support the proposed amendments for them to be approved.
According to the NPP, these requirements demonstrate the importance of securing broad political and national participation in any attempt to amend entrenched constitutional provisions.
NPP Disputes Government’s Handling of Review Recommendations
The NPP said its assessment of the government’s Position Paper showed that 22 of the 147 recommendations concerning amendments to existing constitutional provisions had been fully accepted.
Another 25 recommendations, it said, had been accepted in principle but were subject to modifications.
The party classified the remaining 100 recommendations as areas where disagreements remained between the government and the independent Constitution Review Committee.
The NPP calculated that this represented about 68 percent of recommendations for amendments to existing provisions, while acknowledging that other organisations had arrived at different figures depending on their methods of classification.
The TUC, for instance, has calculated that the government rejected about 54 percent of the Constitution Review Committee’s recommendations.
The NPP maintained that, regardless of the counting method, more than half of the committee’s recommendations had either been rejected or modified by the government.
The party questioned whether the constitutional review process was adequately reflecting the recommendations of the independent committee or primarily the preferences of the governing NDC.
Who Should Participate in a Consultative Assembly?
The NPP said a Consultative Assembly established through legislation could provide an inclusive platform for stakeholders to participate in Ghana’s constitutional reform process.
It said representatives could include:
- Political parties
- Organised labour
- Professional associations
- National House of Chiefs
- Religious organisations
- Women’s groups
- Persons with disabilities
- Students and youth groups
- Private sector representatives
- Civil society organisations
- Representatives from Ghana’s regions
The party argued that involving a broad cross-section of Ghanaian society would help build consensus around contentious constitutional proposals and strengthen public confidence in the final document.
NPP Cites Ghana’s Constitutional History
The NPP also referenced Ghana’s constitutional history to support its call for a Consultative Assembly.
The party cited the Consultative Assemblies associated with the 1969 and 1979 Constitutions, as well as the process that produced the 1992 Constitution.
According to the NPP, the development of the 1992 Constitution involved a Committee of Experts whose report served as a working document for a Consultative Assembly.
The Assembly subsequently produced a draft that was submitted to a referendum on April 28, 1992.
The party said these historical experiences demonstrate the importance of broad representation, deliberation and stakeholder participation in developing a constitutional framework.
Timeline for Ghana Constitutional Amendments
The NPP said the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh submitted its complete report to the government on February 10, 2026, but the report was not published until July 30, 2026.
Following the publication, the government issued a Position Paper indicating which recommendations it had accepted, modified or rejected.
The government subsequently handed a zero draft to an 11-member Constitution Review Implementation Committee, chaired by former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong.
The Implementation Committee was inaugurated at the end of August 2026 and has been tasked with preparing constitutional amendment Bills.
The first Bills are expected to be ready by November 2026.
The government has also announced plans to hold a referendum on proposed changes affecting entrenched provisions of the Constitution alongside the 2027 District Assembly elections.
The NPP argues that the proposed timetable does not leave enough room for meaningful national consultations on the recommendations that remain contested.
Professor Prempeh Committee’s Major Constitutional Reform Proposals
The eight-member Constitution Review Committee established by President John Dramani Mahama in January 2025 submitted a wide-ranging report containing proposals aimed at addressing gaps in Ghana’s constitutional framework and strengthening governance.
President Mahama received the committee’s final report on December 22, 2025, from its chairman, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, and subsequently directed that the document be published for public access.
One of the major recommendations is a proposal to increase the presidential term from four years to five years, while maintaining the existing two-term limit.
The committee said the proposed change could promote governance stability and provide administrations with additional time to develop and implement long-term policies.
The report also proposed significant changes to Ghana’s local government system, including the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
It further recommended the formal integration of traditional authorities into Ghana’s local governance structure.
The debate over the proposed 1992 Constitution amendments is therefore expected to remain a major national issue as the government prepares the amendment Bills and stakeholders continue discussions over the future of Ghana’s constitutional and governance system.
Source: newsthemegh.com