The Minority has rejected the government’s move to amend major parts of the 1992 Constitution, arguing that the proposed changes are too significant and wide-ranging for the government to proceed without broad consultation.

They believe the proposed amendments constitute a fundamental overhaul of Ghana’s constitutional order, hence the need for broader stakeholder engagement.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, September 17, NPP Policy Committee Chairman and Ofoase/Ayirebi MP, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the scale of the amendments constitutes almost half of the Constitution, making it an exercise fundamentally different from an ordinary constitutional amendment.

“The New Patriotic Party therefore rejects this approach being pursued by the NDC government in essentially rewriting the 1992 Constitution. Amendment of 147 of 299 articles, together with 59 new provisions, that is 206 reaching into the executive, the legislature, independent constitutional bodies, and local government is not just an adjustment to some provisions of the constitution; they amount to the overhaul of the constitution and in substance the enactment of a new one,” he said.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah also raised concerns about what he described as significant disagreements between the government and the Constitution Review Committee over the recommendations.

He alleged that the government had departed from about 100 of the 147 recommendations submitted by the independent committee set up by the President, replacing them with its own proposals.

He further claimed that government had ended the consultation process and directed the implementation committee to begin drafting the proposed amendments without further engagement with stakeholders. He said November 2026 had been set as the deadline for the first amendment.

According to him, the absence of a platform for political parties, Organised Labour, professional bodies and other relevant groups to discuss the outstanding issues remains a major concern for the NPP.

He noted that Ghana’s constitutional processes in 1969, 1979 and 1992 followed a broader approach, where expert recommendations were first developed and subsequently subjected to discussions by representative assemblies before being adopted into law.

“First, the work of an expert is deliberated and settled upon by a broad and representative assembly and only then given the force of law. This was done in 1969, in 1979, and in 1992, and that is what we are calling on the government to respect now,” he said.

The NPP is consequently calling on the government to introduce a Constituent or Consultative Assembly Bill in Parliament to establish a formal deliberative assembly for the exercise.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the mechanism would also provide a platform for resolving the more than 100 areas of disagreement between the government and the Constitution Review Committee.