The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has asked the Supreme Court to clarify whether the constitutional limit of two presidential terms applies to a person’s total time in office, regardless of whether the terms are consecutive.
In a writ against the Attorney-General, the party is seeking an interpretation of Articles 58(2) and 66(1), (2) and (3)(a) of the 1992 Constitution to establish whether a person may serve only two four-year presidential terms in total.
The NPP wants the court to declare that no individual may be elected President more than twice or hold the office for more than eight years, whether the terms are consecutive or non-consecutive.
It is also seeking clarification on the eligibility of a Vice-President who assumes the presidency for more than half of a predecessor’s unexpired term. The party argues that such a person should be eligible to contest a presidential election for only one term.
The suit further asks the court to affirm that a person who has already served one presidential term may serve only one additional term, even if the two terms are separated by another president’s tenure.
In its statement of case, the NPP argues that interpreting the two-term limit as applying only to consecutive terms could allow a person who serves one term, loses an immediate re-election bid and later returns to office to serve two more terms.
The party contends that such an interpretation would effectively insert the word “consecutive” into the Constitution, despite its absence from the relevant provisions. It argues that this would amount to altering the Constitution through judicial interpretation rather than applying the existing text.
The NPP also cites international examples, including the United States’ 22nd Amendment, which restricts the number of times a person may be elected President. It refers to developments in other African countries to support its argument that efforts to alter presidential term limits can contribute to political instability.
The party further relies on the Constitution Review Commission’s 2011 report, which recommended an amendment to clarify that a person who had served two presidential terms would be ineligible for re-election.
The writ, dated July 29, 2026, was filed by the NPP through its solicitor, Godfred Yeboah Dame of Dame & Partners.
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