Council of state toothless - Sam Okudzeto

A former president of the Ghana Bar Association, Sam Okudzeto, is advocating a constitutional amendment to dilute the powers of the president while simultaneously empowering the Council of State to serve as a check on the Head of State.

Mr Okudzeto, who has been appointed by President Akufo-Addo as a member of the Council of State, said the decisions of the Council were not binding on the president and its role was not impactful hence was not effective at championing the interests of Ghanaians.

Asked if he would advise a review of the law backing the body, he said: “Of course, because I have been praying about that since the beginning. Because I maintain that this present constitution that we have was tailored for Rawlings, that it was taken from a dictatorship and they created a dictator in the constitution by giving too much power to the president.”

The former Chair of the International Advisory Commission of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association said in an interview on Joy FM on Friday, February 17 that he wanted to “see a Council of State which is more powerful but perhaps even more inclusive so that we can have people with acumen, experience, and knowledge who can be there as a proper guide to the presidency”.

For him, the voice of the council must be heard enough to “make a proper input before parliament passes a law to ensure that the law has been properly debated to ensure that the outcome is in the interest of the country”.