Flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is calling on President John Dramani Mahama to publish the report of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) before taking a decision on the Public Tribunals Bill, 2026.
He is urging the President not to assent to the bill which was recently passed by Parliament, calling for a stakeholder consensus before the bill is considered.
According to Bawumia, the CRC has recommended in its report for the Public Tribunals to be expunged from the Constitution, since the High Courts have taken over their mandate, seeing no reason why the bill should be enforced.
The former Vice President, addressing the nation on Sunday, July 19, 2026, indicated laws that have far-reaching implications for the country’s judicial architecture must be shaped through consensus rather than relying solely on parliamentary numbers.
He couldn’t make reason with why the CRC will recommend expunction for the government to do otherwise because it has the numbers in Parliament.
“Consider also the government’s own process. The President established the Constitution Review Committee, and it reported last December.
“This Committee recommended removing Regional Tribunals from the Constitution, because the High Court has long carried their caseload. Yet the report has not been published. Before the nation has even read it, Parliament has rushed through and legislated in the opposite direction. Mr. President, publish the report first,” Dr. Bawumia urged.
Dr. Bawumia stressed that the judiciary is a vital pillar of Ghana’s democracy and that any attempt to alter the framework within which justice is administered should be approached with caution, openness and inclusivity.
“The bill will soon be transmitted to the president for his assent, and I have one respectful request of President Mahama. Mr. President, do not assent to this bill. Pause and let the nation ponder and deliberate on this very important matter,” he indicated.
He maintained that involving relevant professional bodies, civil society organisations, labour groups and political parties would help build public confidence in the legislation and ensure reforms that reflect the collective interests of Ghanaians.
He therefore urged President Mahama to initiate a comprehensive national dialogue before taking any further steps on the bill.
“Those are the words of Ghanaian workers, not of any political party. Consider also the government’s own process. The president established the Constitution Review Committee and it recommended removing regional tribunals from the constitution because the High Court has long carried their case loads.”
“My call is simple and constructive, withhold your assent. Convene genuine national engagement. Invite the Ghana Bar Association and other lawyer groups, Organised Labour, CSOs and the political parties including my own and we will come in good faith and consult the judiciary itself.
“Justice belongs to no government and no party, it belongs to the Ghanaian people and a law that reshapes the architecture of justice should rest on national consensus and not a headcount.
“Mr. President, the pen is in your handy, use it not to assent to this bill but write an invitation to the nation.”
Public Tribunals Bill 2026: ‘Mr. President, don’t assent to this’ – Bawumia urges Mahama
