Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has refuted claims by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin suggesting that former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are pursuing a “third term agenda.”
Speaking on Thursday, May 1, Afenyo-Markin alleged that Mahama’s recent nomination of seven justices to the Supreme Court was part of a calculated move to facilitate his return to power beyond the constitutionally allowed terms.
“It is obvious that the bold attempts by the president to nominate, out of the blue, seven judges to the Supreme Court are the first major attempt at all that they have rehearsed — a third term agenda,” he said.
Responding to the allegation on Citi News on May 2, Ayariga dismissed the claims as unfounded and politically driven.
“I think he is the one putting the idea in the minds of Ghanaians. I am not sure I have heard Ghanaians having that discussion or even the strategists of the NDC having that conversation,” Ayariga remarked. “He is the one putting this in the minds of Ghanaians.”
The Bawku Central MP further noted that similar claims had emerged even before Mahama officially declared his intention to contest for the NDC flagbearer position in the 2024 general election.
“The conversation about him running for a third term came up even before he filed to contest as flagbearer. In fact, some people even threatened to go to the Supreme Court to stop him, wrongly assuming he was seeking a third term,” he added.
Ayariga emphasized that Mahama’s bid for the presidency in 2024 is fully within constitutional bounds, as he has served only one full term as president.
