Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has fired a blistering warning to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing the party of political miscalculation in appointing legal scholar Henry Kwasi Prempeh as Chair of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC).
In an open letter seen by NKONKONSA.com and widely circulated on Monday, May 6, 2025, Amidu described the appointment as a dangerous gamble, asserting that Prempeh’s ideological affiliations and past roles in policy institutions aligned with Western interests make him unfit to lead constitutional reform under an NDC-led administration.
“The NDC has chosen to utilize the four-year term of President John Dramani Mahama to sup with the devil by appointing Henry Kwasi Prempeh… I only pray that the NDC has a long spoon,” Amidu wrote pointedly.
The outspoken former Attorney General cautioned that the real challenge confronting Ghana’s democracy is not the constitutional framework itself, but the political elite and middle class who manipulate the system for personal and partisan gain.
“The Constitution is not the problem or the Council of State. The problem is with We the People, particularly the educated and enlightened political elite,” he stressed.
Amidu traced Prempeh’s involvement with think tanks such as the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), asserting that these institutions have historically operated with a “geopolitical agenda” under the guise of civil society activism. He claimed the IEA was originally designed to “facilitate the demise of the PNDC and later NDC governments,” and warned that such historical baggage should not be ignored.
He questioned Prempeh’s recent public criticism of the Council of State, describing it as hypocritical given his past silence during his service under President Akufo-Addo.
“Did the inadequacies of the Council of State show only after 7 January 2025?” Amidu asked rhetorically, challenging Prempeh’s motivations for seeking reform now.
Having served as a member of the 1991 Consultative Assembly that drafted Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, Amidu staunchly defended the document’s intent and the role of the Council of State, asserting that its strength lies in the integrity of those who operate under it.
“The constitutional document depends solely on human actors and agency for its viability,” he said, calling for personal responsibility and integrity from public officeholders.
Amidu ended with a stern caution to the NDC as it prepares for the 2028 general elections: “Aboa bi beka wo a, na ofiiri wo ntoma mu” – If an insect bites you, it was already inside your cloth. “A stitch in time saves nine. A word to the wise is in the north.”
Source:NKONKONSA.com
