ACCRA — As Ghana continues its journey under a new administration following the 2024 general elections, a senior legal practitioner and Vice President of IMANI Africa, Mr. Kofi Bentil, has issued a sobering clarion call to the electorate. Speaking on TV3’s The Key Points, Mr. Bentil cautioned that the ghost of the “third term” debate is far from buried, even as the nation looks ahead to the 2028 cycle.
The IMANI Vice President’s remarks come at a time of heightened political sensitivity. While current leadership has been noted for its inclusive rhetoric—appealing to all Ghanaians regardless of party affiliation—Mr. Bentil suggests that a deeper, more predatory current may be flowing beneath the surface of constitutional discourse.
The ‘Third Term’ Mirage
Addressing the widely held belief that President John Mahama has closed the chapter on his executive ambitions beyond a final four-year stint, Mr. Bentil was uncharacteristically blunt. “The debate for a third term for President Mahama is not over in the NDC. Some say if there is a pathway to a third term, they will take it,” he noted.
Drawing on a grim tapestry of continental history, Mr. Bentil reminded Ghanaians of the “Doumbouya Effect” in Guinea and the long-standing tenure of Rwanda’s Paul Kagame. He observed that leaders across the globe frequently vow never to seek extended power, only to find a “legal pathway” once they secure a parliamentary majority or a favorable constitutional review.
A Constitutional Loophole?
Mr. Bentil’s primary concern lies in the malleability of the law. He revealed that certain political elements may be waiting for an “overriding majority” to initiate a constitutional amendment that could extend or reset term limits.
“As long as there is a pathway within the law for a president to run for a third term, they will attempt it,” he warned. He argued that while a leader’s personal word may be trusted by some, history dictates that such utterances cannot be taken as absolute gospel when the machinery of power is at play.
A Call for Sophistication
The IMANI Vice President urged the citizenry to transition from “passive spectators” to “sophisticated stakeholders.” He noted that in over 30 years of the Fourth Republic, Ghana has matured too much to fall for the maneuvers of any elite group seeking to bypass established boundaries.
“What we all have to do is send that message… that look, Ghanaians have become very politically sophisticated,” Mr. Bentil concluded.
For the “right-thinking” Ghanaian, the message is clear: political trust is a luxury the nation cannot afford without the insurance of constitutional rigidity. As the road to 2028 begins, the real test may not just be who wins, but whether the winner respects the boundaries that have kept Ghana’s democracy stable for decades.
