The Council of State has rejected the dual Citizenship bill, advising Parliament against passing the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The dual citizenship bill seeks to remove constitutional restrictions preventing dual citizens from occupying certain public offices.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, addressing Members of Parliament on Tuesday, July 7, disclosed the Council’s position during proceedings in the House after receiving its opinion on the bill.
According to Alban Bagbin, the bill had been referred to the Council of State on March 30, 2026, in accordance with Article 291(2) of the 1992 Constitution for consideration and advice.
Speaker Bagbin added that the Council had completed its review and recommended that Parliament should not proceed with the bill.
He disclosed that the Council’s latest advice is a departure from its earlier position during the Eighth Parliament, when it supported the proposed amendment.
Speaker Bagbin added that despite the Council’s recommendation, its opinion is not binding on Parliament.
On the floor of Parliament, Speaker Bagbin stated, “I received the advisory opinion of the Council of State on the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana Amendment Bill 2025. The Bill seeks to amend provisions of the Constitution relating to citizenship-based qualifications for public office. The Council has duly rendered its advice and, in doing so, has advised against the passage of the Bill by Parliament,” Mr Bagbin stated.
“I have received the advisory opinion on the Bill from the Council of State, and I told you this Council advised against the passage of the Bill, which meant that it differed from the earlier advice of the Council of State of the Eighth Parliament, which had given Parliament the go-ahead to process and pass the Bill,” he said.
“While the advice of the Council of State does not determine the legislative judgment of Parliament, it constitutes an important constitutional contribution to the deliberative process contemplated by the framers of the Constitution,” he told the House.
Meanwhile, the proposed legislation, widely known as the dual citizenship bill, was first introduced during the Eighth Parliament, receiving the Council of State’s endorsement at the time.
The bill was not considered before Parliament was dissolved, necessitating its reintroduction in the current Parliament.
The reintroduction into the Ninth Parliament received support from President John Dramani Mahama, who announced during a diaspora engagement in London on May 31, 2026.
Mahama disclosed that the government had initiated legislation to enable Ghanaians holding foreign citizenship to contest parliamentary elections and serve in ministerial positions.
He described the proposal as the “Gyakye Quayson law”, referencing the citizenship-related legal disputes involving Assin North MP James Gyakye Quayson. He also pointed to the significant contribution of the Ghanaian diaspora, which remitted about US$7.8 billion to the economy last year, describing overseas Ghanaians as the country’s “17th region”.
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