Former Special Prosecutor and seasoned legal authority Martin Amidu has raised serious concerns about Ghana’s ongoing constitutional review process.
In a sharp critique, he accuses Henry Kwasi Prempeh, Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee, of spearheading a covert agenda to tamper with entrenched provisions in the Constitution, particularly targeting the Council of State.
Amidu believes the review is less about genuine reform and more about fulfilling partisan interests, aided by ideologically driven think tanks.
Here are 10 key accusations Amidu makes in his explosive write-up:
1. Alleged hidden agenda behind constitutional review
Martin Amidu claims Henry Kwasi Prempeh is using the review process as a smokescreen to push personal reforms targeting the Council of State, framing them as necessary national changes.
2. Advocacy for reform over abolition
Prempeh is said to promote a “middle ground” that retains the Council of State but restructures it. Amidu sees this as a subtle psychological preparation of the public for constitutional amendments.
3. Preparation for a referendum?
Amidu warns that the endgame may be to amend entrenched provisions of the Constitution, which would require a referendum—a political gamble he believes the NDC cannot afford to lose.
4. IEA and CDD-Ghana viewed as politically biased
He questions the neutrality of IEA and CDD-Ghana, describing them as foreign-aligned NGOs that have historically been critical of the NDC and have a track record of promoting selective reforms.
5. Inconsistent critique from Prempeh
Amidu accuses Prempeh of hypocrisy, pointing out that while he served under the Council of State during the Kufuor era, he is now leading efforts to restructure or weaken that same institution.
6. Double standards on partisanship
Amidu asserts that Prempeh and his civil society allies are quick to criticize NDC-affiliated appointees for partisanship, while ignoring or downplaying similar ties among their own ranks.
7. The role of foreign influence
He alleges that foreign interests may be influencing the review process through their funding and ideological sway over institutions like CDD-Ghana, thereby shaping Ghana’s democratic trajectory.
8. Timing and motivation questioned
Amidu suspects that the sudden push for constitutional reform is timed to benefit the current administration or its allies before the 2024 general elections, rather than to serve the public interest.
9. Undermining of constitutional entrenchment
He warns that the deliberate blurring of entrenched and unentrenched clauses undermines the spirit of the Constitution and weakens the checks and balances it was designed to uphold.
10. Call for vigilance
Amidu ends his critique with a call for all Ghanaians, especially the opposition and civil society, to be vigilant and ensure that the constitutional review process does not become a backdoor for political manipulation.
