Bawumia To JM: Put The Tribunal Bill On Ice

Former Vice President and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to withhold assent to the controversial Tribunals Bill, 2026 arguing that Parliament rushed the legislation through despite objections from the Minority and organised labour.

The appeal follows Parliament’s passage of the Bill last week, after the House waived the mandatory one-day interval between the consideration stage and third reading, enabling lawmakers to approve the legislation on the same day. The Minority’s objections to the expedited process were defeated by a majority vote.

The Bill, which now awaits presidential assent, seeks to reintroduce tribunals into Ghana’s judicial system, as part of efforts to strengthen justice delivery.

However, Dr Bawumia contends that such a far-reaching reform should not become law without broad national consultation.

In a public statement issued yesterday, he urged President Mahama to suspend the assent process and open the Bill to wider public engagement.

“Mr President, do not sign this Bill. Pause and let the nation talk,” he appealed.

Last week, Parliament passed the Tribunals Bill, 2026, after a heated debate, with the Majority relying on its numbers to secure its approval.

The legislation, a key pledge in the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) 2024 election manifesto, now awaits presidential assent.

On Thursday, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) urged the President to withhold assent to the Bill, arguing that it undermines the ongoing constitutional review process and could expose Ghana’s justice system to political interference.

According to the former Vice President, the issue transcends party politics because it concerns the architecture of Ghana’s justice system, public confidence in the judiciary and the country’s democratic future.

Questions over legislative process

Dr Bawumia criticised the speed with which Parliament approved the legislation, arguing that the Bill was passed despite public opposition from organised labour.

He noted that the Trades Union Congress (TUC) had openly called for the withdrawal of the Bill, warning that its provisions, in their current form, could be used to “weaponise justice delivery, but the voice of millions of Ghanaian workers was ignored,” he maintained.

Constitution Review Committee cited

The former Vice President also questioned why Parliament proceeded with the legislation before the publication of the report of the Constitution Review Committee established by President Mahama.

According to him, the committee reportedly recommended the removal of Regional Tribunals from the Constitution on the grounds that the High Court has long assumed their jurisdiction.

He argued that legislating in the opposite direction before making the committee’s recommendations public was inappropriate.”Publish the report first,” he urged.

Strengthen existing courts

While acknowledging that Ghana’s courts face serious case backlogs, Dr Bawumia argued that creating tribunals is not the solution.

Instead, he advocated strengthening the existing judicial system through the appointment of more judges, expansion of courtroom infrastructure and accelerated digitisation of court processes.

He also expressed concern over provisions that would allow tribunal panels to include persons who are not legally trained to adjudicate criminal matters, saying Ghana’s historical experience with tribunals demands caution.”Ghanaians remember tribunals, and we remember what was done in their name,” he said.

Call for broad consultation

Dr Bawumia urged President Mahama to use the constitutional process to build consensus before deciding the Bill’s fate.

He proposed consultations involving the Ghana Bar Association, other legal professional bodies, organised labour, civil society organisations, political parties and the Judiciary.

Invoking Articles 90 and 106 of the 1992 Constitution, he suggested that the President engages the Council of State to facilitate national dialogue on the proposed law.

“Justice belongs to no government and no party. It belongs to the Ghanaian people, and a law that reshapes the architecture of justice should rest on national consensus, not on a headcount,” he stated.

 

 

 

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