IMANI Africa Vice President Kofi Bentil has affirmed that the President acted within his legal rights in dissolving the governing boards of various state institutions, despite ongoing public debate over the decision.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 on Saturday, September 5, 2026, Bentil explained that while appointing board members falls under executive power, the exact limits of that authority remain open to discussion.

"It is the prerogative of the President to appoint boards, et cetera. But that issue itself has not been properly dealt with and settled finally. I say so because those of us who remember Lawyer Samuel Okudzeto, some time back, you know, took the matter to court as to the President's powers when it comes to certain boards. And that was settled to the extent that he cannot dissolve all boards. So there's a certain distinction between the ones he can do and the ones he cannot do," he stated.

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Meanwhile, while elaborating on how executive power should be used, Bentil noted that past leaders showed restraint by seeking wide consultation rather than acting strictly by decree.

"Even though the President has a lot of powers, he does not have to use all of them with fiat... as in sitting in his office and issuing instructions. We have seen during President Kufuor's time, when those powers were existent, where he took a certain direction, which was not so capricious, but he sought wide advice. In the same way, in terms of boards and management of state institutions, the thinking is that even though the President has expressed power, he can restrain himself,” he said.

“So the fundamental situation is that the President is within his power to do what he has done. But some of us believe that going forward, we should manage the powers of the President, which we think are too extensive," he observed.

However, defending the decision to change board leadership, the policy analyst maintained that the President is attempting to improve public sector performance.

"On this specific matter, I don't think the President has done anything wrong. He is acting within his power, and he's seeking the better good of the nation, so to say, by changing these boards and so to say, hoping to renew them, et cetera," Bentil affirmed.

Addressing claims by some state agencies that they achieved huge financial turnarounds in short periods, Bentil expressed strong skepticism about those reports.

"When the profit figures were posted, I have a background in management consulting, and those of us who understand how some of these things work, we knew from the beginning. You cannot turn around these kinds of institutions, which have been around for decades, within 18 months,” he said.

“They post these fantastical profits—if they didn't know, if they didn't know they were making mistakes, then that's even worse. But if they knew they were making mistakes, but they still posted it, my question is, why would you do that?" he asked.

Urging public officials and national figures to exercise caution, he called for greater scrutiny before celebrating financial reports released by state agencies.

"I feel embarrassed that they will publish these things with the courage and the, you know, bravado they did and take credit for it. And some of them on social media, you know, do a victory lap... Look, when it comes to these things, I think we should all be restrained. And I expected that especially the leaders in our system will ask a few questions before just going on and then swallowing whatever is being said. I knew from day one that these figures were fictitious," he concluded.

ANAS/EB

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