Africa News of Tuesday, 5 October 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-10-05'Completely out of the question' - Ghana prez on running for third term
President Akufo-Addo says he is ready to leave office come 2025
• President Akufo-Addo has reiterated his position on term limits
• He says he is looking forward to handing it over in January 2025
• He believes ECOWAS should officially ban third term bids
Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his position of leaving office at the end of his current term in office, keeping with
Read full articlethe two-term limit enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
On the final day of his tour of the Ashanti Region, the president granted an interview to Kumasi-based Pure FM on which he discussed various topical local and international issues.
When asked whether he had no ambitions beyond his current term, he responded: “Adinkra (host of the programme), do you want me to get myself into trouble? I can see so, you want me to get into trouble. That (a third term) is completely out of the question.”
He continued: “Completely out of the question, seventh January 2025, goodbye Ghana, thank you and I will probably end up in Kyebi and go and get my rest.”
On the matter of ECOWAS’ stance before the coup in Guinea when ousted President Alpha Conde was changing the Constitution to allow him to run for a third term, Akufo-Addo stressed that it might have been a mistake on the part of the bloc but same could not be a justification for military takeovers.
“So because ECOWAS did not act to stop the third term mandate of President Ouattara and Conde, we have no right to insist on the unconstitutionality of coups?
“I am not sure I understand that argument. Ok, it may be the failing of ECOWAS, but going forward is that the analysis that is going to help the growth of democracy in our region?
“The constitutive text of ECOWAS is about promoting good governance and democratic development in the ECOWAS space. That is the most important thing,” he stressed.
The president in an earlier interview on Ashh FM had made similar comments to the effect that ECOWAS in his personal opinion had to consider including bans on third terms as part of its constitutive text. He also issued a statement to that effect.
