President John Dramani Mahama has stated that he believes the constitutional provision governing presidential tenure is clear, following a legal action seeking the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the two-term limit for presidents.
According to President Mahama, although some individuals have gone to the Supreme Court for clarity on the matter, he personally sees no ambiguity in the provision.
“I know that people have gone to the Supreme Court seeking interpretation of the clause that governs the tenure of the president. If you ask my personal opinion, I thought that it was clear enough. I’ve read it over several times; it’s exactly what it says, but if they want to ask the Supreme Court, that is their business,” he said.
His comments come after a Ghanaian citizen, Ganiwu Alhassan, filed a suit at the Supreme Court seeking a declaration on whether a person who has served two separate, non-consecutive terms as President can contest the presidency again.
The suit, filed against the Attorney-General, centres on Article 66(2) of the 1992 Constitution, which states that a person shall not be elected to hold the office of President for more than two terms.
Alhassan is asking the Supreme Court to determine whether the provision bars only consecutive presidential terms or prevents a person who has served two separate terms from seeking the presidency again.
President Mahama, who returned to office in 2025 after previously serving as President from 2013 to 2017, said his focus remains on delivering the mandate given to him by Ghanaians.
“The people of Ghana gave me a mandate for one term. And I am working hard to meet the promises I made them,” he said.
He added that he has urged his ministers to work with urgency to ensure the government fulfils its commitments within the period available.
“I always tell my ministers, I say let’s number our days, so that we can work harder to meet the promises we made the Ghanaian people,” he said.
President Mahama stressed that he views his current tenure as the additional term entrusted to him by voters and intends to use it to meet their expectations.
“But I know that the people of Ghana gave me one additional term, and I’m going to work to meet the trust that they put in me,” he said.
The Supreme Court is expected to determine the constitutional interpretation of the presidential term limit following the suit filed by Alhassan.