Accra, Ghana – President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, has highlighted chieftaincy disputes as a growing national concern, particularly in the selection of successors when a chief passes away.
Speaking during a meeting with the Executive Committee of the National House of Chiefs, President Mahama acknowledged the recurring challenge of rival claimants to chieftaincy stools and emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to resolve this issue.
“There are some few issues that we need to begin to look at. In all the security briefings I have got after December 7th, the issue of chieftaincy dispute has become a major issue. Anytime a chief passes away, and a new chief has to be selected, invariably two rival chiefs or three rival chiefs suddenly appear,” he said.
The President noted that Ghana’s 1992 Constitution intentionally left chieftaincy matters to traditional authorities to avoid government interference.
“In the 1992 Constitution, it was decided from the unpleasant experience of the past, where government is to interfere in chieftaincy matters, to leave the issue of chieftaincy completely to the chiefs themselves—that is, the National House of Chiefs and the regional houses of chiefs,” he added.
However, he pointed out that chieftaincy disputes often escalate into security crises, necessitating government intervention.
“But then I do think that there are issues that come up, especially with the selection of new chiefs, that create security crises. And so when law and order breaks down, government is called in to protect the peace. And so I think that we must work with you to see how we can prevent this from happening,” the President stated.
Revisiting Succession Planning
President Mahama also expressed concerns about the worsening state of succession disputes, despite earlier efforts to establish clear lines of succession.
“I remember that at a point, it was decided that there should be a qualification of the lines of succession. I don’t know how far that project has gone, but it looks like the issue of dispute is becoming even worse by the day than it was before this qualification took place, and I think that’s an issue that we must look at,” he said.
Constitutional Review and Amendments
The President revealed plans to hold a constitutional review validation conference to address such issues, building on the work of previous committees.
“As I said, we intend to hold a constitutional review validation conference. And at that conference, the intention is to put the work of the Fiadjoe Committee, which was the initial work commissioned by President Atta Mills, and then also the work done by the Kyei Mensah Bonsu Committee under the commission of President Nana Akufo-Addo, on the table so that we see what is still relevant in terms of amending our Constitution and what is no longer relevant,” he explained.
He further stressed the necessity of periodic constitutional amendments.
“As we operate under a constitution, you will find some loopholes and things that were not completely anticipated. And so, for every country, after a while, there must become the necessity to make amendments to a constitution,” he noted.
Key Issues for Review
President Mahama highlighted specific areas requiring constitutional clarification, including the ongoing impasse between Parliament and the Supreme Court over who has the mandate to declare seats vacant.
“And I just gave the example of the impasse between Parliament and the Supreme Court as to who has the mandate to declare seats vacant and all that. And so, if we are looking at the Constitution again, that’s one of the areas we should look at and tighten so it makes it clear who has the constitutional mandate to do what,” he said.
The President also addressed the Supreme Court ruling barring chiefs from summoning their subjects, an issue he believes should be revisited during constitutional discussions.
“I know when I came through your palaces, many of you raised the issue of the Supreme Court ruling barring chiefs from summoning their subjects to their palaces. And so, when the opportunity comes to look at the Constitution again, I am sure that you will have the position that you can present to be able to look at that aspect of it in order to make clear what the lines of authority are in respect of our traditional rulers,” he said.
Enhancing Chiefs’ Role in Governance
President Mahama reiterated his commitment to increasing the involvement of chiefs in governance.
“In our campaign, one of the issues I raised was to see how we can increase the involvement of chiefs in the government architecture that we have,” he noted.
He highlighted areas where traditional leaders could play a significant role, particularly in environmental protection.
“There are some things that we need your influence to support government to be able to achieve. Protection of the environment is one of them. The traditional areas belong to you, but it is government agencies like the EPA and all those agencies that are supposed to have the legal mandate to protect the environment,” he stated.
The President concluded by urging collaborative efforts between government and traditional authorities to address national challenges and foster progress.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites
) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 
