Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, has rejected calls to extend Ghana’s presidential term beyond four years.
According to Togbe Afede, the economic difficulties Ghana faced in 2022, 2023 and 2024 are among the reasons he does not support extending the term.
Togbe Afede argued that although there may be reasons to consider a longer presidential term, he however noted that the impact of a government’s decisions on the people must also be taken into account.
Speaking at the 2026 Asogli Teza on Saturday, October 3, 2026, Togbe Afede stated, “Let me add that we all saw the difficulties of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 in particular, and for me, the consequences that we experienced are the reasons why I am not in favour of extending the presidential term beyond four years”.
“Because I cannot, or I could not imagine one more year under the kind of government we had at the time,” he added.
It will be recalled that the CRC, chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, recommended extending the presidential term from four years to five years as part of its broader constitutional reform proposals.
The Mahama government, through the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that the government has accepted a key recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to extend the tenure of the President and Parliament from four years to five years.
Presenting the government’s White Paper on the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations, Dr Ayine stated, “The government has accepted a recommendation to extend the term of office of the President from four years to five years, with the term of Parliament extended to correspond with this”.
“Our thinking is practical. Under the current four-year cycle, the early months of every administration are consumed by transition matters, and the final year is largely consumed by elections.”
“A five-year term provides a more realistic time frame for the formulation, implementation and assessment of government policy.”
Meanwhile, Ghana’s biggest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has rejected the Constitutional Review Committee’s (CRC) recommendation to extend Ghana’s presidential term from four years to five years.
The NPP argued that the four-year presidential term provides an important mechanism for democratic accountability.
According to the NPP, the four-year presidential term also allows citizens to regularly assess the performance of elected governments and decide whether to renew or withdraw their mandate.
The NPP stressed that they had taken a different position from the government and the CRC on the proposed extension.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, September 17, 2026, the Member of Parliament for Gushegu, Sulemana Tampuli Alhassan, stated, “The CRC recommended that the presidential term be extended from 4 to 5 years. Now, we have taken a different position from the position of government and the CRC. We do not support the extension, and we support the retention of the existing 4 years.
“And our justifications are that a four-year mandate promotes democratic accountability by allowing citizens to regularly assess the performance of a government and renew or withdraw their mandates.
Challenges relating to policy implementation, transition and the formation of government should be addressed through greater efficiency and timely decision-making, rather than by extension. Again, extending the term weakens the principle of regular accountability.”
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