It appears some bootlicking elements within the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) are in a state of denial that President John Dramani Mahama will not be eligible to contest any presidential election after completing his second-term on January 6, 2028.
Such individuals are busily selling the idea of Mahama’s third-term bid, notwithstanding the definitive provision of Article 66 (2) of the 1992 Constitution, which stipulates that a person cannot be elected as President of Ghana for more than two terms.
The third-term idea has apparently placed the Majority Leader in Parliament, Mr Mahama Ayariga, in an uncompromising situation as a senior lawyer and an advocate of constitutional law to toe the line of his party.
Mr Ayariga, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, recently indicated he would feel compelled to champion the third-term agenda for President Mahama should the NDC formally direct him to do so.
He explained that in such a scenario, his personal reservations would likely be superseded by his duty to the party as the Leader of Government Business.
According to Mr Ayariga, his only alternative to executing the party would be to decide to resign from his leadership role.
“If my party takes a decision that it is something they want to pursue, and if I initially oppose it but am unable to convince them otherwise, and they convince me of their position, then in my role as Leader of Government Business, I would be obliged to pursue it… If I don’t accept, then I would have to resign.”
The Majority Leader stated these during an encounter with JoyNews’ AM show on December 10, 2025.
Current position of NDC
The Majority Leader, however, presented the current position of the governing party.
Mr Ayariga asserted that the NDC presently has no intentions of pursuing a constitutional amendment for a third term.
He suggested that the persistent accusations from the opposition are counterproductive and could inadvertently fuel the very idea they are trying to prevent.
“I think that the Minority are rather trying to incite us to do something that we have clearly said we are not thinking about now,” he stated.
These comments followed repeated claims from the Minority caucus and the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), accusing President Mahama and the NDC of attempting to manipulate key state institutions.
They indicated this alleged manipulation is intended to facilitate an amendment of the Constitution, which would allow Mr. Mahama to contest the 2028 election for a third-term.
Most recently, the opposition raised similar concerns following the Tamale High Court’s order for a rerun of the 2024 Kpandai parliamentary election, suggesting the government was steering the legal process to serve its interests.
However, it is important to point out that President Mahama, who is currently serving his second and final term under the existing constitutional limits, has publicly denied having any plans for a third term.
