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Claim: The Gomoa Central Member of Parliament (MP), Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A-Plus, says Ghana’s Parliament can unilaterally extend President John Mahama’s last term beyond four years.
Verdict: Misleading. DUBAWA’s investigations showed that Ghana’s Parliament alone cannot extend Mr Mahama’s final term beyond four years, as A-Plus alleged. Article 66 of the country’s 1992 Constitution limits the term of a President to two terms of four years each. Being an entrenched provision, any attempt to extend Mahama’s term will require the involvement of Parliament and Ghanaians in a referendum.
Full Text
The Gomoa Central Member of Parliament (MP), Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A-Plus, says Ghana’s Parliament can unilaterally extend President John Mahama’s last term beyond four years.
Speaking during a one-on-one interview on Accra-based UTV, the musician said Ghana’s current president can seek any number of terms in office asso long as Parliament approves it.
“John Mahama can seek a billion terms. It is the law… If the President thinks the term limit does not help Ghana, he will go to Parliament and tell them to remove it,” he said in the Twi local dialect.
A-Plus explained, “The law says if John Mahama feels he wants to extend the terms, he should come to Parliament, and we will make laws so there won’t be elections in Ghana anymore. It is not John Mahama who made the arrangement. It is the law.”
You can see A-Plus’s comments from minutes 0:33 to 2:22 of the video that the media outlet, UTV, shared on X on May 14, 2025.
Reacting to the interview, an X user, @Wadostydray910, wrote: “Okay, advise him to try and see the outcome, such a loose talker.”
Another X user, @asabeewil, said:
“Parliament can make and unmake—that’s all he’s saying. Tenure of office is entrenched, so it will take a lot of effort to amend it. Mahama doesn’t need a third term anyway.”
The social media data revealed that as of May 15, 2025, the video had 67,745 views, 212 reposts, 2,545 likes, 91 bookmarks, and 46 comments.
DUBAWA decided to probe the claim due to its virality in the country.
Verification
Our investigations showed that Ghana’s Parliament alone cannot extend Mr Mahama’s final term beyond four years, as A-Plus alleged.
Article 66 of the country’s 1992 Constitution limits the term of a President to two terms of four years each.
“A person elected as President shall, subject to clause (3) of this article, hold office for a term of four years beginning from the date on which he is sworn in as President,” Article 66(1) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution reads.
Also, Article 66 (2) of the Constitution makes it clear that:
“A person shall not be elected to hold office as President of Ghana for more than two terms.”
Being an entrenched provision under Article 290 of the 1992 Constitution, any attempt to extend Mahama’s term will require the involvement of Parliament and Ghanaians in a referendum.
In Article 290 (4) of the Constitution, any amendment of an entrenched provision will be by a bill for the amendment, which would be read the first time in Parliament and shall not proceed until submitted to a referendum participated in by registered voters.
The law requires that at least 40 per cent of persons eligible to vote should participate in the referendum, and at least 75 per cent of the total must vote to pass the bill.
“Where the bill is approved at the referendum, Parliament shall pass it,” Article 290(5) of the 1992 Constitution reads.
It is not in the hands of Members of Ghana’s Parliament to decide to extend Mahama’s final four-year term.
Conclusion
Contrary to A-Plus’s allegation, Ghana’s Parliament alone cannot extend Mr Mahama’s final term beyond four years.
