Private legal practitioner and author Benjamin Tachie Antiedu has underscored the need for the government to remain dedicated to the constitutional review process, noting that the initial momentum characterising the exercise has stalled.
He made these remarks during an interview on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM’s Frontline, while commenting on the recent resignation of retired Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo from the Council of State.
Addressing the ongoing debate surrounding the relevance of the Council, Antiedu observed:
“There have been suggestions for the Council of State to be scrapped, while others believe it can be elevated into an Upper Chamber. Those who have argued for the Upper Chamber are of the view that it will give it more powers.”
He explained that Ghana’s current constitutional framework grants the President enormous power, leaving the Council of State as a purely advisory body whose counsel the President can freely accept or ignore.
“The work of the Council of State is not binding on the President because they only advise. So, while we debate the composition of the Council of State, we should also focus on the constitutional review process because it has become slow. When it started, I thought with the speed they worked with, we would have reached some levels, but it is too slow at the moment.”
Mr Antiedu reiterated that the future of the Council remains a critical, ongoing national conversation, pointing out that similar structural reforms have been championed by prominent statesmen in the past.
“The continuity and relevance of the Council of State remains an ongoing debate. Everything points to the fact that some people want the Council of State scrapped, whereas the rest believe it can be elevated to an Upper Chamber. This discussion is not new. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor had also made similar proposals. We have others who also made similar suggestions. As a people, we have to take steps in tweaking our governance structures and make them far better.”
Meanwhile, the lawyer cautioned against politicizing Justice Akuffo’s departure, stressing that as an independent-minded individual, she reserves the right to resign for her own reasons.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana