The Minority Caucus in Parliament has sharply criticized what it describes as a clear 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 statement released on May 12, 2025, the Minority highlighted that the three top officials were all out of the country at the same time, a scenario they argue breaches Article 60 of the Constitution. This article mandates that when both the President and Vice President are unavailable, the Speaker of Parliament must step in as Acting President.
At the time of the statement, President John Dramani Mahama was in Togo for the African Union Debt Conference, while Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman was receiving medical treatment in the United Kingdom. The Minority also pointed out that Speaker Alban Bagbin, who should have assumed the role of Acting President, was also abroad.
According to the Constitution, if all three officials are unavailable, the Chief Justice is expected to take on the presidential duties. However, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo is currently under suspension.
The Minority has condemned this situation as a “deliberate and calculated” action, accusing the government of treating the Constitution as a mere “inconvenience” rather than a binding legal framework.
In a statement signed by the Minority’s legal counsel, John Darko, they warned that such breaches threaten Ghana’s democratic integrity. “We will hold the President and Vice President accountable to their oath of office, which demands adherence to the Constitution. If necessary, we will invoke the law to ensure that these violations are addressed,” the statement concluded.
