Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has supported the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) call for broader consultation in the ongoing review of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
According to Lawyer Kpebu, the John Mahama government did not show the NPP enough respect.
Lawyer Kpebu stressed that he agreed with the principle behind the NPP’s demand, particularly the need to broaden participation in the constitutional review process.
Speaking on Joy News on September 18, 2026, Martin Kpebu stated, “I agree with the spirit of the suggestion. The spirit of it is that there should be broader consultation”.
“But as to whether we should go and set up another Constituent Assembly, my thoughts are still evolving,” he added.
Lawyer Kpebu further questioned the approach adopted by the government, saying, “It was always clear from day one. I just believe, I don’t know how government could have thought that they could go through this process without really making NPP front and centre of it”.
“You see, NPP has a large following. I mean, for crying out loud, even their worst performance in the last election, they’ve got what? Almost 42%,” he said.
He further argued that where a referendum requires 40% of eligible voters to participate and 75% of those voting to support the proposal, engaging the opposition becomes essential.
Kpebu added, “So, when you are going to go through a referendum that requires 40% of the electorate and 75% should vote in favour, you must make your opposition people front and centre of the whole process”.
“I’m not surprised this came. I mean, the NPP have done what they’ve done, because I don’t think they were accorded enough respect,” he said.
“Speaking bluntly, government didn’t show them enough respect at all.”
His comment follows the New Patriotic Party (NPP) rejecting 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”.
@ghnow_ President Mahama Operates Excavator to Commission Agbogbloshie Waste Evacuation Exercise #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – NDCMUSICHQ
@ghnow_ President Mahama Operates Excavator to Commission Agbogbloshie Waste Evacuation Exercise #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – NDCMUSICHQ
