Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has promised that if he wins the presidency in the next general election, he will return power to Ghana's chiefs.

The Ghanaian constitution, according to Dr. Bawumia, has diminished the authority of chiefs and barred them from active political engagement.

If elected, he said, "my government will amend the Chieftaincy Act to empower chiefs to manage local disputes that should be resolved at their level, without going to court, and to enforce discipline effectively."

"There is a lack of discipline, and we need to address this by revisiting and amending our approach," he said, underscoring the significance of re-establishing discipline in society.

Dr. Bawumia specifically proposed amending Section 63(d) of the Chieftaincy Act, as recommended by his manifesto committee, to provide greater authority to chiefs.

He believes this amendment will ease the burden on the courts and allow more cases to be resolved locally.

“This will enable chiefs to swiftly resolve community disputes and reduce the backlog of court cases,” he explained.

Dr. Bawumia also pledged to pay paramount chiefs, divisional chiefs, and queen moms a living wage so they have the means to carry out their responsibilities.

"After we give them tasks, we need to give them the tools they need to build the nation and their communities," he stated. These statements were given by Dr. Bawumia during his Oti regional campaign tour, when he spent the weekend in Krachi East speaking to the Oti Regional House of Chiefs, clergy, party members, and NPP supporters. His suggestion was welcomed by the chiefs and queen mothers, who also wished him luck in his presidential aspirations and acknowledged his sincere concern for traditional leadership.