‘Form Your Own Party!’ – Anyidoho Shuts Door on Third-Term Hopefuls

Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy General Secretary Samuel Koku Anyidoho has asked anyone harbouring presidential ambitions beyond two terms to do so outside the NDC.

In a blunt social media post on Sunday (12 July), Anyidoho made it unequivocally clear that the NDC will not serve as a launchpad for any individual seeking to exploit a pending Supreme Court ruling on presidential term limits.

“The NDC shall not be a vehicle for carrying the obnoxious ambition of any individual on a selfish journey of destroying Ghana’s fledgling democracy,” he wrote on X, drawing a clear line in the sand as debate intensifies over the interpretation of Article 66(2) of the 1992 Constitution.

Anyidoho’s message was as direct as it was uncompromising: any politician determined to pursue a third-term bid, regardless of what the Supreme Court may decide, should find their own path to power.

“If the person likes, he or she can go form his or her own political party or contest as an Independent candidate and see if he or she will get even 1% of the votes,” Anyidoho declared, effectively daring would-be aspirants to test their popularity outside the NDC’s formidable political machinery.

The former Deputy General Secretary insisted that the NDC’s leadership, including National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and General Secretary Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, have already made their position clear, describing any third-term agenda as driven by a sycophant attitude that will not be tolerated within party ranks.

Supreme Court Case Sparks Constitutional Firestorm

The controversy stems from a suit currently before the Supreme Court, seeking an interpretation of whether Article 66(2) bars two consecutive presidential terms or two terms in total. The plaintiffs argue that a substantial break in service could reset the eligibility count, potentially opening the door for a former president to return to office.

If successful, the interpretation could fundamentally alter Ghana’s democratic framework, allowing presidents to serve multiple non-consecutive terms over decades.

Anyidoho, however, made it clear that even if the Supreme Court were to rule in favour of the “consecutive terms” interpretation, the NDC would not sell nomination forms to anyone seeking to capitalise on such a ruling.

President Mahama Not Interested

 Anyidoho was quick to stress that President John Dramani Mahama has already stated publicly that he would not contest the presidency again in 2028, and that there has been no indication from the president that he intends to seek another term beyond his current tenure.

The former Deputy General Secretary’s comments appeared designed to preempt any suggestion that the NDC is behind the legal action, distancing the party from what he described as attempts to undermine Ghana’s constitutional democracy.

 

Gabby Otchere-Darko Warns of ‘Constitutional Rewrite’

 The debate has drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum, with New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko warning that the “consecutive terms” argument amounts to a dangerous rewriting of the Constitution.

“That is not interpreting the Constitution. It is rewriting it,” Otchere-Darko declared in a detailed social media post:

“If that argument succeeds, then the current President, after completing this second term, could contest again in 2028, if he changes his expressed mind and so chooses. If he loses, he could return in 2032.

 “If he wins in 2032, he could contest again in 2036 because, according to this theory, he still would not have served two consecutive terms. If he then loses in 2036, why stop there? He could run again in 2040, and if he wins, he could still seek another term in 2044 because only then would he have completed two back-to-back terms.

 “In other words, under this interpretation, the Constitution’s two-term limit magically resets every time a President loses a re-election attempt.  That is not interpreting the Constitution. It is rewriting it.

 “The Constitution says a President shall not hold office for more than two terms. It does not say two consecutive terms. Had the framers intended that qualification, they knew exactly how to say so. They didn’t.

 “Asking the Supreme Court to read into the Constitution a word its framers deliberately omitted is not constitutional interpretation; it is constitutional amendment by judicial decree.”

Otchere-Darko argued further that accepting such an interpretation would “magically reset” the two-term limit every time a president loses an election, allowing for an endless cycle of presidential bids.

Party at Crossroads

 Anyidoho’s forceful intervention comes at a critical moment for the NDC, as the party navigates internal dynamics and prepares for the 2028 elections.

His message appears aimed at both external critics and potential internal factions who might be tempted to test the constitutional waters.

With the Supreme Court yet to deliver its ruling, Anyidoho has made it clear that the NDC’s position is already settled: regardless of what the court decides, the party will not be anyone’s vehicle for extending presidential tenure beyond two terms.

The Supreme Court is expected to deliver its ruling in the coming weeks, with political observers watching closely for a decision that could reshape Ghana’s democratic landscape for generations to come.