Mahama’s dual citizenship amendment claim will threaten country’s sovereignty, says Poku-Adusei

Lawyer in private practice Ralph Poku-Adusei has stated that former President John Mahama’s claim that the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will amend the constitution to enable dual citizens to be able to go to occupy public offices will threaten the sovereignty of the country.

Former President John Mahama addressing NDC members on Monday 8 May 2023, as part of his campaign tour of the Northern Region ahead of his party’s presidential primaries coming up on Saturday 13 May, indicated that if the NDC comes back to power, the government will seek to clarify the constitutional provision that compels them [dual citizens] to give up their foreign citizenship before they contest elections.

“A country’s human resource is its best resource, and we [Ghana] happen to have about three million of our citizens abroad, they have acquired experience, they have acquired different talents. And why should we have a law that says that if you going to be an MP [Member of Parliament] in Ghana, you must give up your dual citizenship, meanwhile we have a dual citizenship law” John Mahama said.

However, Ralph Poku-Adusei reacting to Mr Mahama’s claims noted that “the law is quite clear; there is really, no ambiguity to clarify. If his intention of clarification is to seek to make amendments to Article 8 (2), he would have a difficult task because you cannot have that situation arising as a result of a single person’s interest”.

“Look at one person as opposed to an entire state and you want to put in a provision that will allow one person in a position where he will have the option to put the sovereignty of the country first or the other.

“So, in all fairness, that shouldn’t be an argument that should be [advanced] or that should be promoted. The sovereignty of the country is paramount and is must be protected and guarded jealously,” Lawyer Ralph Poku-Adusei said.

“If you can’t renounce your citizenship and put yourself in a position that you can rise and fall with this country, why should you be elected to become a member of parliament? I think this argument [by former president Mahama] should not be advanced [at all in the first place],” he added.

Wilberforce Asare

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