Ghana's Constitution is 'useless' - Lepowura

The Lepowura of the Kpembi Traditional area, Alhaji Mohammed Nuru-Deen Jawula has stated that the constitution is to blame for chiefs openly declaring support for political parties.

Though the constitution prohibits chiefs from engaging in partisan politics, he said it has failed to prescribe the exact punishment for chiefs who go contrary to this provision as enshrined in it.

According to him, this has enforced some chiefs to dare the constitution and get away with it because the law does not prescribe the exact consequence of the actions of chiefs who dabble in partisan politics compared to civil servants.

“It is a known fact that civil servants are not supposed to engage in politics; as a result, when I did politics as a public servant, I resigned as a Chief Director of the Ministry of Health at the time,” he disclosed.

Though the constitution clearly states that traditional rulers are not allowed to engage in politics, Lepowura observed that most chiefs are neck-deep in the practice.

His comments come in the recent streak of traditional rulers promising votes for political parties with the most recent being the Paramount Chief of Sunyani, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri, who promised an 80% win for the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC)

The Consulting Director of the Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership indicates that the constitution has several gray areas on constitutional infractions making it unfit for the country.

A “Leader of people engaged in politics will result in divisions among subjects,” he remarked.