Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has downplayed concerns of a power vacuum following the absence of President John Dramani Mahama, Vice Presid ent Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin from the country.
Reacting to claims by the Minority Caucus that the current situation violates the Constitution, Mr. Cudjoe said he does not even feel such a vacuum as the country is running smoothly.
He contrasted the current situation with issues under the previous administration, including the exclusion of the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL) from the 2020 parliamentary elections and the $58 million spent on the foundation of the National Cathedral.
“I didn’t even notice the president, vice president, and speaker were all out of Ghana. All is smooth and sailing. SALL is fine. No one is digging pits for $58 million.
“No one is being shackled and shaved off their finances, and no one is giving lectures on how to lock up the dollar in jail. And certainly no renaming of institutions with meaningless titles of deities. Long may it continue,” he wrote in a social media post on Wednesday, May 14.
His comment follows a press conference held by NPP lawmakers saying the situation violates Article 60 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires the president to swear in an acting head of state when leaving the country if the vice president and speaker are both unavailable.
In a statement dated May 12, Legal Counsel to the Minority Caucus, John Darko, described the situation as unconstitutional and deliberate.
“This administration has consistently treated the Constitution as an inconvenience rather than a binding framework.
“They are emboldened to flout the supreme law of the land because they believe they have succeeded in weakening the Judiciary. Their continued attacks on the Judiciary and the Chief Justice, both overt and covert, have created a climate that undermines judicial independence and threatens the rule of law,” the statement noted.
ModernGhana