Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has made a direct appeal to President John Dramani Mahama not to assent to the recently passed Tribunals Bill by parliament.
According to Dr Bawumia, the legislation with such far-reaching consequences should first be subjected to extensive national consultation.
Dr Bawumia stressed that the Tribunal Bill should not become law until key stakeholders have had the opportunity to deliberate on its implications, adding that reforms affecting Ghana’s justice system should be built on broad public consensus rather than a parliamentary majority.
The NPP flagbearer highlighted that the judiciary remains one of the country’s most important democratic institutions, noting that any changes to its structure should be approached with transparency, inclusiveness and careful consideration.
Dr Bawumia further urged him to delay assent and instead open the door for nationwide dialogue.
Speaking to the nation on Sunday, July 19, 2026, the former vice president stated, “The bill will soon be transmitted to the president for his assent, and I have one respectful request of President Mahama. Mr President, do not assent to this bill. Pause and let the nation ponder and deliberate on this very important matter.
“This is not a partisan request. The Trades Union Congress and the voice of millions of Ghanaian workers have called for the bill to be withdrawn, warning that in its current form, it could become a potent tool for weaponising justice delivery.
“Those are the words of Ghanaian workers, not of any political party. Consider also the government’s own process. The president established the Constitution Review Committee, and it recommended removing regional tribunals from the constitution because the High Court has long carried their case loads.”
“My call is simple and constructive: withhold your assent. Convene genuine national engagement. Invite the Ghana Bar Association and other lawyer groups, Organised Labour, CSOs and the political parties, including my own, and we will come in good faith and consult the judiciary itself.
“Justice belongs to no government and no party; it belongs to the Ghanaian people, and a law that reshapes the architecture of justice should rest on national consensus and not a headcount”.
“Mr President, the pen is in your hand; use it not to assent to this bill but to write an invitation to the nation.”
Meanwhile, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, has said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) future government will scrap the regional tribunals.
According to Afenyo-Markin, the NPP position is very clear that Ghana do not need the tribunals being introduced by the Mahama administration.
The Minority leader of Parliament argued that Ghana’s justice system requires more investment in infrastructure and personnel rather than the establishment of regional tribunals.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, July 17, 2026, Afenyo-Markin stated, “The NPP’s position is very clear. We don’t need these regional tribunals”.
“What we need to do is to strengthen our court system, invest in retooling, train our judges and get those with the necessary integrity to man our courts and dispense justice without fear or favour”.
According to Afenyo-Markin, any judicial arrangement that alters Ghana’s court structure would not survive under a future NPP administration.
“Anything that will disturb the existing judicial infrastructure would have to go. You need executive powers to support your legislative powers in Parliament to effect major reforms, transformations and changes,” he stated.
Watch the video below:
@ghnow_ Bawumia cautions Mahama against reinstating regional tribunals.
♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ Former Black Stars defender George Blay has been laid to rest in a private ceremony attended by close family members in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
♬ original sound – GHnow
