Former Vice-President and the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) 2028 presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said the opposition party is ready to participate in constructive consultations on the Public Tribunals Bill, 2026, urging President John Dramani Mahama to suspend the assent process and facilitate a broad national dialogue before the legislation becomes law.

Addressing the nation on Sunday, July 19, Dr Bawumia appealed to the President to withhold his assent to the Bill and engage key stakeholders, arguing that reforms affecting Ghana's justice system should be founded on national consensus rather than the numerical strength of a parliamentary majority.

According to him, although the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) commands one of the largest parliamentary majorities in the history of the Fourth Republic, that mandate should be exercised with restraint, particularly on legislation with far-reaching constitutional implications.

"Mr President, your government commands one of the largest majorities in the history of the Fourth Republic. With such numbers, Parliament can pass almost any Bill it wishes. Not everything that can be passed should be passed," he said.

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Dr Bawumia argued that a commanding parliamentary majority carries an even greater responsibility to build consensus on matters that affect the country's democratic institutions.

"The larger the majority, the greater the duty of restraint," he stated.

He added that legislation should ultimately be judged by the extent to which it reflects the aspirations of the Ghanaian people rather than the size of the parliamentary majority that approved it.

"History will not ask how many votes a law received. It will ask whether the law reflected the best desires of a broad section of Ghanaian society."

NPP ready to engage

Central to Dr Bawumia's appeal was his assurance that the NPP would participate in good faith in any national engagement on the proposed legislation.

"My call is therefore simple and constructive. Withhold your assent. Convene genuine national engagement," he urged.

He called on President Mahama to bring together the Ghana Bar Association, other legal professional bodies, organised labour, civil society organisations, political parties and the Judiciary to deliberate on the Bill before it receives presidential assent.

Importantly, he pledged the NPP's readiness to contribute constructively to such discussions.

"Invite the Ghana Bar Association and other lawyers' groups, organised labour, civil society, and the political parties, including my own; we will come in good faith," he said.

Dr Bawumia also stressed the need to involve the Judiciary, arguing that judges and legal professionals would ultimately be responsible for implementing any reforms introduced by Parliament.

"And consult the Judiciary itself, the institution that must live with whatever Parliament creates," he stated.

He maintained that judicial reforms should not be undertaken without the direct involvement of those responsible for administering justice, adding that changes to the country's justice delivery framework must be informed by practical experience.

The former Vice-President further argued that justice must remain above partisan politics and reflect the collective interests of the Ghanaian people.

"Justice belongs to no government and no party. It belongs to the Ghanaian people," he said.

He concluded by insisting that legislation capable of reshaping Ghana's judicial architecture should command broad public support rather than rely solely on parliamentary numbers.

"A law that reshapes the architecture of justice should rest on national consensus, not on a headcount," he added.