Supreme Court Faces Writs Over Presidential Two-Term Limit

Ghana's Supreme Court is considering two separate writs asking it to clarify whether the constitution's two-term limit on the presidency bars a third consecutive term, or bars a third term in office altogether regardless of whether it is consecutive. One suit was filed by Ganiwu Alhassan, a teacher from Kpandai in the Northern Region, who argues the limit applies only to consecutive service. The other was filed by Kenneth Kwabena Agyei Kuranchie, editor of the Daily Searchlight, whose earlier attempt at the same suit was dismissed in 2024 over procedural defects before being refiled. Both name the Attorney-General as defendant, who has 14 days to respond to each writ.

Why The Distinction Matters Alhassan's suit asks the court to declare that someone who has served two separate, non-consecutive terms as president remains eligible to run again, pointing to the constitution's vice-presidential succession provisions as evidence the limit was never meant to be absolute. Kuranchie's suit goes further, seeking a declaration that a break of at least one four-year electoral cycle resets the eligibility count entirely. The two readings would have different implications for any past president seeking a return to office after a term out of power, making the court's interpretation a significant constitutional question beyond the current administration.

Awaiting A Ruling No date has been set for a ruling, and the writs add to a small but consequential body of constitutional litigation testing the boundaries of Ghana's presidential term limits since the 1992 constitution came into force.