Edudzi Tameklo replies Minority over ‘power vacuum’ claim in the country

The Acting Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, has dismissed the assertion that Ghana is experiencing a constitutional power vacuum.

This is after the Minority Caucus in Parliament raised concerns about the absence of the President of Ghana, his vice president, and the Speaker of Parliament from the country.

Addressing the claim on Channel One TV on May, 13, 2025, he stated that the framework of Ghana’s government is functioning as intended, with institutional continuity fully intact.

“I thought there were three – the Judiciary, the Executive, and the Legislature. Is the Acting CJ in Ghana? There is an Acting CJ. It is not personal. It is the office,” he explained.

In furtherance of his argument, he clarified that the presence of the Acting Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, in the country renders the Minority’s claim erroneous.

“So, as we speak, there is an Acting CJ of the republic, and that is the reason we have three arms of government… What I can say is that there is no power vacuum. It does appear that the president is in the country,” Tameklo said.

The Minority, in a statement on Monday, May 12, 2025, accused the government of breach of the 1992 Constitution.

According to the Minority, at the time of their statement, President John Dramani Mahama was in Togo attending the African Union Debt Conference, Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was receiving medical treatment in the UK, and Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin was also abroad.

Referencing Article 60 of the constitution, the Minority argued that in such instances, an acting president must be sworn in - either the Speaker or, in their absence, the Chief Justice.

Despite the Minority’s assertion that this situation constitutes a “deliberate and calculated” violation of the constitution, Tameklo maintained that there is no leadership crisis.

He insisted that the Acting Chief Justice is present and that the presidency remains intact.

VPO/AE

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