The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama not to assent to the Tribunals Bill, 2026, but instead begin broad consultations with key stakeholders before any decision is taken.
In a public address yesterday, Dr Bawumia said the bill had the potential to reshape Ghana’s justice delivery system and therefore required wider national discussion.
He noted that Parliament passed the bill after waiving the mandatory one-day interval between the consideration stage and the third reading, despite objections from the Minority and organised labour.
“The bill will soon be transmitted to the President for his assent. I have one respectful request of President Mahama. Mr President, do not assent to this bill,” he stated.
According to him, the issue should not be treated as a partisan matter because it concerns the country’s justice system and democracy.
Dr Bawumia pointed out that the Trades Union Congress (TUC) had called for the withdrawal of the bill, warning that in its current form it could be used to weaponise the justice delivery system.
He also referred to the work of the Constitution Review Committee, which was set up by President Mahama and submitted its report last December.
According to him, the committee recommended the removal of regional tribunals from the Constitution because the High Court had long been handling their workload.
He questioned why Parliament had passed legislation to reintroduce tribunals before the committee’s report had been made public.
“Mr President, publish the report first,” he urged.
Dr Bawumia further argued that Ghana’s congested courts should be addressed by appointing more judges, building more courtrooms and expanding digital processes instead of creating what he described as a second justice system.
He expressed concern that the proposed tribunals could include panel members who are not lawyers sitting in judgment over criminal cases.
The NPP flagbearer appealed to the President to use his parliamentary majority with restraint, stressing that not every bill that could be passed should necessarily become law.
He called on President Mahama to convene a national dialogue involving the Ghana Bar Association, other lawyers’ groups, organised labour, civil society organisations, political parties and the Judiciary.
Dr Bawumia assured the President that the NPP would participate in such discussions in good faith if invited.
“Justice belongs to no government and no party. It belongs to the Ghanaian people, and a law that reshapes the architecture of justice should rest on national consensus, not on headcount,” he said.
He urged the President to use the Council of State process under Articles 90 and 106 of the 1992 Constitution to engage the nation instead of assenting to the bill.
By: Jacob Aggrey
