A member of Ghana’s Constitution Review Implementation Committee, Dr Rainer Akumperigya, has dismissed calls for a Constituent Assembly, arguing that an assembly established through an Act of Parliament is not necessary to legitimise the ongoing constitutional review process.
His comments come in response to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) proposal for a Constituent Assembly to be included in the process of reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
Dr Akumperigya, who served as Secretary to the Constitution Review Committee, said the legitimacy of the process should be measured by the extent and inclusiveness of stakeholder consultations rather than by the creation of a Constituent Assembly.
“I don’t think that that’s the only way that consultation, a consultative process, will give legitimacy to a constitutional process,” he said.
He called for a broader national dialogue on the Constitution to address disagreements that have emerged following the publication of the government’s position paper on the committee’s recommendations.
He suggested options including a “national constitutional dialogue”, a “constitutional consensus conference” or a “citizens’ constitutional convention”.
“We could, for instance, have a national constitutional dialogue,” he said.
The NPP has raised concerns about several aspects of the government’s position paper, including its decision not to adopt the recommendation to increase the number of parliamentary seats from the current 276 to a maximum of 300.
The party has also opposed the proposal to extend the presidential term from four to five years, while backing the recommendation to bar Members of Parliament from serving on public boards.
Dr Akumperigya said the remaining concerns could be addressed through further consultations in Parliament, where bills arising from the review process would undergo detailed legislative scrutiny.
He added that Parliament could invite memoranda and submissions from the public to inform discussions on the substance and structure of the proposed constitutional amendments.
“Even at the Parliament level, even within the executive and some of these people, there’s no reason why we can’t further engage,” he said.
He acknowledged that the NPP and other stakeholders have valid interests in the process and said their concerns should be taken into account.
Dr Akumperigya noted that the Constitution Review Committee had already conducted extensive consultations nationwide, engaging political parties, Parliament, traditional leaders, civil society organisations, experts and other key stakeholders.
He said the review process should remain open to further input, allowing stakeholders to help address the outstanding concerns before the proposed reforms are finalised.