Former Attorney General and Member of Parliament for the Bolgatanga East constituency, Dominic Ayine has rubbished Ken Kuranchie’s suit challenging the eligibility of former President John Dramani Mahama to contest the 2024 polls.
“He has planted confusion in his own mind and the Supreme Court jurisdiction is not needed in this one,” Mr. Ayine told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM.
He further questioned the understanding of Mr. Kuranchie, Editor-in-chief of the Daily Searchlight newspaper, on the constitutional provision of the eligibility of persons that aspire to serve the country as president.
“I have read through the writ and to be honest with you, aside from the fact that it is poorly drafted, it is a non-issue because if you read the language of the constitution, it is very clear that a person is entitled to two terms when elected president of the republic, and now he is saying that the fact that the constitution says that you cannot go more than two terms, then it means that the person who has done one term cannot be re-elected into office again.
“If the makers of the Constitution had wanted to limit such persons from seeking re-election, then they would have said that a person is entitled to not more than two consecutive terms so basically what the plaintiff is seeking to do is to invite the Supreme Court to read the word consecutive into the language of the constitution and I think it is not something the Supreme Court will be very willing to do even though I cannot say with exactitude.”
Mr. Kuranchie filed the suit on June 12 at the Supreme Court challenging the former president’s eligibility to contest the 2024 presidential polls.
Mr. Kuranchie is seeking a declaration that upon true and proper Interpretation of Article 66 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, clearly stipulates the number of years of a presidential term to be four years.
He is also seeking a declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Article 66 11) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution, a person seeking a second presidential term must be a sitting president.
A declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution, a former President of Ghana is not qualified to seek election as President of Ghana.
