…Calls for Broader National Engagement
By Leo Nelson
Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia used a national address on Sunday, July 19, 2026, to call on President John Dramani Mahama to withhold his assent to the Tribunals Bill, 2026, urging the President instead to pause the legislation and open it up for national dialogue.
Speaking directly to Ghanaians, Dr Bawumia described the bill as a matter capable of reshaping the country’s justice delivery system, public confidence in the judiciary, and the broader trajectory of Ghana’s democracy.
“I speak to you on a matter that has the potential to reshape our justice delivery system, confidence in our judiciary and the future of our democracy all together, the attempt to re-introduce tribunals into Ghana’s Judicial System.”
A Bill Passed Under Unusual Urgency
The New Patriotic Party 2028 flagbearer recounted how Parliament passed the Tribunals Bill last week, describing a process he characterised as rushed.
He noted that the mandatory one-day interval between the consideration stage and the third reading was waived, allowing the bill to pass through both stages on the same day, despite objections from the Minority and from organised labour.
With the bill now set to be transmitted to the President for assent, Dr Bawumia made his central appeal directly to President Mahama. “I have one respectful request of President Mahama. Mr President, do not sign this Bill. Pause, and let the nation talk,” he said.
Dr Bawumia was careful to frame his request as one grounded in broad national concern rather than partisan politics, pointing to the Trades Union Congress as a key voice opposing the legislation.
“This is not a partisan request. The Trades Union Congress, the voice of millions of Ghanaian workers, has called for the Bill to be withdrawn altogether, warning that in its current form it could become a potent tool for weaponising justice delivery. Those are the words of Ghanaian workers, not of any political party.”
Constitutional Review Report Still Unpublished
Turning to what he described as an inconsistency within the government’s own process, Dr Bawumia referenced the Constitution Review Committee established by President Mahama, which submitted its report in December.
According to Dr Bawumia, that committee recommended removing Regional Tribunals from the Constitution altogether, citing the High Court’s long-standing capacity to handle their caseload. “Before the nation has even read it, Parliament has rushed through and legislated in the opposite direction. Mr President, publish the report first,” he said.
Dr Bawumia raised concerns about the composition of the proposed tribunals, noting that panels including non-lawyers could sit in judgment over criminal matters under the new legislation.
He invoked Ghana’s historical experience with tribunals as a cautionary reference point. While acknowledging the real problem of court congestion, Dr Bawumia argued that the solution lay in strengthening the existing court system rather than creating a parallel structure.
“Our courts are congested, yes. But the answer to congested courts is to strengthen the courts, more judges, more courtrooms and digitised processes. It is not to build a second system of justice beside the one the Constitution already gives us.”
A Warning About the Weight of a Large Majority
The former Vice President and New Patriotic Party 2028 flagbearer also addressed the scale of the current government’s parliamentary majority directly, cautioning that political strength alone should not determine which laws get passed.
“Mr President, your government commands one of the largest majorities in the history of the Fourth Republic. With such numbers, Parliament can pass almost any bill it wishes. Not everything that can be passed should be passed. The larger the majority, the greater the duty of restraint.”
He framed the stakes in terms of historical judgment rather than immediate political outcomes. “History will not ask how many votes a law received. It will ask whether the law reflected the best desires of a broad section of Ghanaian society,” he said.
A Call for Broad National Engagement
Dr Bawumia outlined a specific path forward, urging the President to withhold assent and instead convene genuine engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including his own party.
“Invite the Ghana Bar Association and other lawyers’ groups, organised labour, civil society, and the political parties, including my own, we will come in good faith. And consult the Judiciary itself, the institution that must live with whatever Parliament creates.”
The NPP leader closed his address by describing justice as belonging to the Ghanaian people rather than any single government or party, urging the President to use his constitutional authority to invite national conversation rather than finalise the bill unilaterally.
Dr Bawumia specifically referenced the constitutional mechanism available to the President for such consultation.
“Mr President, the pen is in your hand. Use it, not to sign this Bill, but to write an invitation to the nation through the Council of State in accordance with Articles 90 and 106 of the 1992 Constitution,” he said, closing his address with a prayer for the country.