By Godwill Arthur-Mensah,GNA
Accra, July 20, GNA – Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has joined organised labour and civil society in urging President John Mahama to convene broad national consultations before assenting to the Tribunals Bill, 2026.
Dr Bawumia, in a statement issued on Sunday, July 19, stressed that justice “belongs to the Ghanaian people” and should not be reshaped by parliamentary majority alone.
Ghana’s former Vice President argued that laws which alter the architecture of justice must rest on national consensus, not on partisan numbers.
He appealed to the President to invite the Ghana Bar Association, lawyers’ groups, organised labour, civil society organisations, political parties, and the Judiciary itself for deliberations.
“We will come in good faith,” he assured, adding that the Judiciary must be consulted as the institution that will live with whatever Parliament creates.
Parliament last week passed the Tribunals Bill, 2026, reintroducing Regional Tribunals into Ghana’s judicial system.
The Minority’s objections were voted down, and the mandatory one-day interval between the consideration stage and third reading was waived, allowing the Bill to be passed the same day.
Organised labour, led by the Trades Union Congress, has called for the Bill to be withdrawn, warning that it could become a tool for weaponising justice delivery.
The Constitution Review Committee, established by the President, had recommended removing Regional Tribunals from the Constitution, noting that the High Court had long carried their caseload.
However, its report has not yet been published.
Dr Bawumia cautioned that tribunals, which may include non-lawyers sitting in judgment over criminal matters, risk undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
He urged government to instead strengthen the courts by appointing more judges, expanding infrastructure, and digitising processes to ease congestion.
“Mr President, the pen is in your hand. Use it not to sign this Bill, but to write an invitation to the nation through the Council of State in accordance with Articles 90 and 106 of the 1992 Constitution,” he added.
GNA
Reporter: Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Reporter’s email: [email protected]