Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has noted that four years for a presidential term in Ghana is too short.
He explained that there are myriads of problems in developing countries like Ghana therefore, four years is woefully inadequate for a president to fix all challenges.
Mr Kufuor in 2008 made a statement in Parliament to the effect that the term of office for a president in Ghana was too short, a statement some of his opponents said meant he wanted to stay on in office.
Asked whether it ever crossed his mind or did anyone ever raise with him to amend the constitution to enable him extend his stay in office after 2008, the two term president said: “Never and Nobody”.
He was speaking on Asaase Radio on Sunday, September 6.
“The group in which I was, I don’t think would ever think of talking of violating the constitution of the nation, the foundation of it being the sovereignty of the people.
“The people are the real sovereign authority and it is through this exercise of their sovereignty that we had a state.
“The people’s constitution defines the state and the people, by promulgating the constitution will define what the state is and the institutions of state and so if the constitution says four-year term, tenure for you as president unless the people amend the constitution to lengthen the stay you can’t do it.
“If the people haven’t done and you, with whatever group of people or cabal, think you know better than the people whose constitution it is to find a way to stay on because you think you could have made Ghana into something else, then you are violating the constitution, you are staging a coup d’etat against the people.”
Regarding the term of office for a president, he said: “Four years is too short. My Last statement to Parliament, I used that occasion to tell the people that for a developing country like our nation with so many, with the greatest of respect, handicaps [and] drawbacks to tackle has four years tenure. I thought it was too short.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana