National Petroleum Authority CEO Edudzi Tamakloe has rejected suggestions that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is preparing President John Dramani Mahama for a third term, arguing that neither the President nor the party has taken steps to support such an ambition.
Tamakloe said the NPP’s decision to challenge the constitutional term-limit provisions at the Supreme Court was based on speculation rather than any action by the President or the governing party.
He said the situation would have been different if the NDC had opened nominations for another presidential contest and Mahama had personally asked someone to obtain a nomination form on his behalf.
“It would have been a different scenario if the NDC has opened nominations and President John Dramani Mahama has sent me, Edudzi, to go and pick a nomination form for me,” he said.
He added that even if a party member had independently obtained a nomination form and approached the President, that would have created a different situation for discussion.
Tamakloe, however, said no such development had occurred and insisted that Mahama had not indicated an intention to seek another term.
He referred to a recent public statement by the President during an engagement in one of the regions, saying Mahama had made his position clear.
“He himself, as far as in Singapore, had put out there just recently on one of his tours to one of the regions. Again, he made it abundantly clear,” Tamakloe said on New Day on TV3.
He questioned why the NPP was raising fears of a third term and possible political instability when, in his view, there was no action by the President to support those concerns.
Tamakloe maintained that the constitutional challenge was therefore built around an assumption rather than an actual decision or move by Mahama or the NDC.
