The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the Mahama government’s current approach to reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
According to the NPP, the NDC government is essentially rewriting the 1992 Constitution, arguing that the scale of the exercise amounts to a fundamental overhaul of Ghana’s constitutional order.
The NPP are calling for the establishment of a Consultative Assembly to deliberate on the proposed changes.
Oppong Nkrumah stressed that the NPP would oppose the proposed amendments in Parliament and campaign against them at the referendum.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, speaking on behalf of the NPP, argued that the scale of the proposed reforms goes beyond what should be treated as routine amendments under Chapter 25 of the Constitution.
The Policy Committee Chairman, Oppong Nkrumah, said the government must not proceed with the proposed amendments without involving key stakeholders.
Oppong Nkrumah noted that the Constitution Review Committee has recommended amendments to 147 of the 299 articles of the Constitution, representing about 49 per cent of the existing document, as well as 59 new provisions.
The NPP argued that the scale of the recommendations makes the exercise fundamentally different from an ordinary constitutional amendment.
Addressing the press, Oppong Nkrumah stated, “The New Patriotic Party therefore rejects this approach being pursued by the NDC government in essentially rewriting the 1992 Constitution”.
“Amendment 147 of 299 articles, together with 59 new provisions, that is 206 reaching into the executive, the legislature, independent constitutional bodies, and local government, is not just an adjustment to some provisions of the constitution; they amount to the overhaul of the constitution and, in substance, the enactment of a new one,” he said.
“A change of that magnitude cannot be treated as routine business under Chapter 25, to be carried through a parliamentary session and then a referendum.”
He further raised concerns about what he described as significant disagreements between the government and the Constitution Review Committee over the recommendations, adding that the government has substituted its own position for about 100 of the 147 recommendations made by the independent committee established by the President.
“Out of the 147 recommendations, about 100 of them—that is 68%—the NDC government has substituted their own preference for the views of the independent committee that the President himself put together,” he alleged.
The NPP further accused the government of limiting further consultation on the proposals and said there had been no platform for political parties, organised labour, professional groups and other identifiable groups to resolve areas of disagreement.
Oppong Nkrumah argued that Ghana’s previous constitutional processes in 1969, 1979 and 1992 involved expert work followed by deliberation through broad and representative assemblies before the proposals were given the force of law.
He added, “A change of this magnitude to the constitutional order of our nation should follow the time-tested path by which Ghana has made every such change. First, the work of an expert body deliberated and settled upon by a broad and representative assembly and only then given the force of law”.
“This is how it was done in 1969, in 1979, and in 1992. And that is what we are calling on the government to respect now,” he said.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to hold a national referendum on proposed constitutional amendments.
According to President Mahama, the planned national referendum on proposed constitutional amendments will be held alongside the 2027 District Assembly Elections.
Speaking on his Resetting Ghana Tour Citizens’ Engagement in Bolgatanga as part of his two-day tour of the Upper East Region, Mahama stated, “We therefore want to add the referendum to the District Assembly elections next year. Next year, apart from voting for your Assembly Members, you will also be required to vote on the constitutional amendments”.
“If the referendum is successful, we will implement the amendments to the entrenched clauses. That is what we are doing with regard to governance.”
He further revealed that he will soon inaugurate the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to take the Government’s position paper and the Constitutional Review Commission’s reports and synthesise the two.
“For non-entrenched clauses, we only need Parliamentary approval. We will put them before Parliament, and Members will vote and pass them,” he said.
“Entrenched clauses require that we conduct a referendum. At least 40 percent of registered voters must vote, and 75 per cent of those who vote must say yes.”
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