Richard Gyamfi, a member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Communications Team, says the party does not trust President John Dramani Mahama’s pledge not to seek a third term.
He says the government has a record of changing positions and the NPP will not take public commentaries as a final decision on the matter. This, he says, is the reason the party has gone to the Supreme Court to seek interpretation of Ghana’s presidential term limits.
Speaking on the BigIssue segment on the NewDay morning show on Monday, November 2, 2026, Gyamfi said the party is taking no chances.
“This particular government, H.E. John Dramani Mahama and NDC II, is notable for settings and so for us, we are not going to take this flamboyant commentaries on the side as a sacrosanct decision made by the President not to run again,” he stated.
According to him, “these things have happened in countries within our subregion and we all are aware of the consequences that come thereof, especially Burkina Faso,” where “Blaise Compaoré, after 27 years in power in 2014, he decided to amend the constitution to run again. Their cherished democracy has been now distorted by a military coup.”
The NPP’s suit is seeking declarations on Articles 58(2) and 66(1), (2) and (3)(a) of the 1992 Constitution. The party wants the court to declare that a person can be elected President only twice, regardless of whether the terms are consecutive or non-consecutive.
The party also wants the court to affirm that a person cannot hold the office for more than two four-year terms, amounting to eight years in total. The writ was filed by the party’s solicitor, Godfred Yeboah Dame, with the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice named as defendant.
According to the party, interpreting the limit to mean two consecutive terms only could allow a former President who served one term, lost re-election and later returned to serve two more terms.
Although President Mahama has publicly dismissed suggestions that he intends to seek a third term, Gyamfi says history shows why the party remains concerned.
He cited Burkina Faso as an example and also pointed to Senegal, where former President Abdoulaye Wade’s attempt to extend his stay sparked a political crisis.
Gyamfi noted that such moves often follow praise-singing and sycophancy after a leader gains public trust.
“So there are so many instances where people gain the trust of the people, become President and then because of the sycophancy and praise-singing, they decide that they can amend the constitution to favour them.”
“That is the fear because if you do that, the democracy that we’ve protected and cherished for years is going to go down in the abyss,” he said.
President Mahama has said he is not interested in a third term – Kwakye Ofosu
