Kofi Bentil, a private legal practitioner, has said President John Dramani Mahama is becoming an imperial president.
He highlighted that John Mahama has full control of Parliament, and the judiciary can’t control him.
According to Kofi Bentil, President Mahama has complete control over Parliament and the judiciary.
Speaking on The Key Points on TV3, Saturday, September 27, Kofi Bentil stated, “Today, President Mahama is becoming an imperial president. What do I mean by that? He has total control over Parliament and the judiciary; he has muted them. Today, as we speak, President Mahama is enjoying extreme popularity.”
Also, Richard Ahiagbah, the Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has told President John Dramani Mahama he has become a Supreme leader.
Mr Ahiagbah emphasised that John Mahama’s removal of the Chief Justice and his dominating Parliament make him a Supreme leader.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on September 13, Richard Ahiagbah stated, “What you have in Ghana after the President’s successful removal of the Chief Justice is a legislature that is dominated by the ruling party – the government of the day. Number two, you have a Judiciary effectively now in a position to be compromised”.
“So now you have effectively a supreme leader, who will not accept it; however, but the set-up is that President Mahama has become a Supreme leader.
Why? Because parliament is essentially his, and the Judiciary will effectively become his. When that happens, he is a Supreme Leader. He can disagree, but that is what it is,” he stated.
However, President John Dramani Mahama has confidently stated that he is not on his way to becoming a supreme leader or an autocrat.
He light-heartedly reaffirmed his commitment to upholding Ghana’s democracy.
John Mahama dismissed claims of an attempt to amend the constitution to allow for a third term following the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo and the NDC’s super majority in Parliament.
President Mahama, reacting to these fears during his first media encounter on Wednesday, September 10, debunked such claims.
He reiterated that he remains fully committed to Ghana’s democratic governance.
John Mahama stated, “Look in my face, do I look like a supreme leader? I’m a democrat, true and true. Even when we attained two-thirds of Parliament, I said we’re not going to roughshod over the minority and that we are going to give an opportunity for democracy to flourish”.
“That is, to paraphrase Prof Atta Mills, do I look like a cat Hunter? Do I look like a supreme leader? I’m a Democrat, through and through. And even when we attained two-thirds of Parliament, I said that we are not going to use it to ride roughshod over the minority, and that we are going to give opportunity for democracy to flourish. And so we know we intend to use that two-thirds majority to steamroll our democracy”.
Mahama emphasised, “Certainly, I’m not on the way to becoming a supreme leader or an autocrat”.