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Former National Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman Freddie Blay has entered the constitutional discourse surrounding former President John Dramani Mahama's potential candidacy in the 2028 general elections, emphasising that while judicial interpretation holds significance, the final authority rests with Ghana's voting public.
During a Wednesday, June 11, 2025 interview on Oyerepa FM, Blay recognised the Supreme Court's constitutional mandate in legal interpretation, particularly concerning the disputed presidential two-term provisions.
Nevertheless, he expressed acceptance of any apex court ruling that would enable Mahama's electoral participation.
The law is in the bosom of the judges
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Blay remarked, adding,
If it goes to the Supreme Court – which has the exclusive judicial right to interpret the Constitution – and that body decides that what it means by two terms is conservatively this or that, I don't have a problem with it.
Blay distinguished between judicial interpretation and democratic participation in his analysis.
The law court does not vote for a president. The individuals who constitute a panel and may look at a case have only one vote each. It is the people of this country who will vote.
The former NPP chairman further indicated that should Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) select him as their presidential nominee, such a decision would fall within party prerogatives, with the electorate ultimately determining the outcome.
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These observations emerge during sustained legal and political deliberations regarding Mahama's constitutional eligibility, considering his complete presidential term from 2013 to 2017 and his completion of late President John Atta Mills' remaining tenure from 2012.
The debate has intensified following claims by NPP National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye, who has alleged that President Mahama is strategically positioning himself for a third presidential term through Supreme Court appointments and purported plans to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.
He knows it will be difficult to get a referendum. So, what I can do is pack the court with judges who will favour me, then sponsor a judicial interpretation of Article 62, which states that everybody has two terms.
Therefore, he seeks an interpretation to mean that the two terms can be continuous and consecutive. He wants to rely on such an interpretation to go for a third term,
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Boakye stated during a Peace FM interview.
The constitutional question centres on Article 62 interpretation and reflects broader concerns about democratic governance and judicial authority in Ghana's political framework.