The opposition New Patriotic Part has taken strong exception to pronouncements made by President John Dramani Mahama on his ‘Accounting to the People’ tour to the effect that he is entitled to an automatic eight-year term in office under the 1992 Constitution.

According to the NPP, the President’s claim is a crude attempt to hoodwink unsuspecting Ghanaian voters into thinking that a president is entitled to an automatic eight years in office under the constitution.

The party argued that what the constitution provides in Article 66 (1) is that “[a] person elected as President shall hold office for a term of four years".

A further provision in Article 66 (2) states that:

"A person shall not be elected to hold office as president of Ghana for more than two terms."

These provisions, according to the NPP, are indicative of the fact that although the President is eligible to stand for re-election after his four-year term, it is not an entitlement under the constitution as the President wants many Ghanaians to believe.

According to the Communications Director of the party, Nana Akomea, the eight years of presidents Jerry Rawlings and John Kufuor were not automatic entitlements but was based on the merit of Ghanaians’ assessments of their first four years in office.

Nana Akomea holds a strong opinion that President Mahama does not fall within the league of presidents who deserve a second-term mandate due to his abysmal performance in government.

“Ghanaians should be told the truth that they have it completely in their power to vote to remove President Mahama after four years (i.e. in 2016), and that President Mahama is not entitled to any automatic four years,” he emphasised.

Abuse of incumbency

The NPP is also accusing the President of abusing incumbency by disguising a campaign tour in the name of accounting to the people of Ghana.

The party argues that the President cannot be merely commissioning projects and reporting on development projects when he is canvassing for votes at every point of his accounting tour.

“It is very clear from his own pronouncements captured everyday on radio and television that he is hiding under this so called ‘accounting’ to engage in some furious political campaigning ahead of the 2016.

“President Mahama is clearly engaged in a shameless abuse of incumbency. And it is even more a shame that his government will not admit to it but rather lie to the Ghanaian people”.