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Legal practitioner Prof. Stephen Kwaku Asare has sharply criticised former President John Mahama for publicly directing Parliament to elect Alban Bagbin as Speaker for the 9th Parliament, describing it as an inappropriate approach.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on January 11, 2025, Prof. Asare questioned why political parties should impose leadership decisions on parliamentarians, particularly when MPs are entrusted with electing their own leaders.
Prof. Asare argued that such open mandates by political figures contribute to the growing perception of excessive presidential influence over parliamentary affairs.
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He further pointed out that while the president has the right to lobby, Mahama’s direct communication of his preference through a formal letter to Parliament undermines the independence of the legislative body.
“There’s a way of doing it, as Prof. Abotsi was saying, by just doing it in the background, and as a citizen, he has the right to do it in the background,” Prof. Asare emphasised.
The remarks from Prof. Asare were supported by other panellists on the show, including Oliver Barker-Vormawor and Prof. Kofi Abotsi, who agreed that Mahama’s public intervention was problematic.
They expressed concern that such actions further centralised power in the presidency, thus exacerbating the already existing issue of presidential overreach in Ghana’s political system.
In defence of Mahama’s actions, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, his special aide, acknowledged that while the method may not have been ideal, it was intended to help alleviate tensions during a particularly fraught period in the country’s political history.
According to Mogtari, the unique context surrounding Bagbin’s election and Mahama’s victory in the 2024 presidential election contributed to the decision.
She stressed that while the criticisms were valid, they would be accepted in good faith, and the former president was open to feedback moving forward.
