Bawumia Urges Mahama to Withhold Assent on Tribunal Bill, Calls for National Consensus

Former Vice President and 2028 NPP Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on President John Mahama to withhold assent to the Tribunal Bill and initiate a broad national consultation before the law is passed.

Dr Bawumia said laws that “reshape the architecture of justice” must be built on consensus, not on parliamentary majority alone.

“Justice belongs to no government and no party. It belongs to the Ghanaian people. A law which reshapes the architecture of justice should rest on national consensus, not on head count,” he stated on Friday.

He proposed that the President convene stakeholders, including the Ghana Bar Association, other lawyer groups, organised labour, Civil Society Organisations, political parties, and the judiciary, to review the bill in good faith.

“My call is therefore simple and constructive. Withhold your assent. Convene genuine national engagement,” Dr Bawumia said.

The former Vice President acknowledged that the current government holds “one of the largest majorities in the history of the Fourth Republic” and can pass almost any bill. But he cautioned against using that power without restraint.

“Not everything that can be passed should be passed. The larger the majority, the greater the duty of restraint. History will not ask how many yes and nos received. It will ask whether the law is just, equitable and seeks to promote and protect the interest of Ghanaians,” he noted.

The Tribunal Bill, which seeks to amend the structure and operations of Ghana’s tribunal system, has generated debate among legal experts and civil society over its potential impact on judicial independence.

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