Bawumia Calls on President Mahama to Pause Assent to Tribunal Bill, 2026.
Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to pause and reconsider his assent to the controversial Tribunal Bill, 2026.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Dr. Bawumia urged the President to halt the legislative process and open the Bill for broader national consultation, warning that reintroducing Regional and District Tribunals could undermine public confidence in the justice system.
The call comes days after Parliament passed the Tribunal Bill, 2026 on July 17, 2026, despite stiff resistance from the Minority Caucus, who staged a walkout led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin a day before the vote.
Dr. Bawumia said while government argues the Bill will speed up justice delivery and reduce case backlogs, the country must learn from history and focus on strengthening the existing judiciary.
“The NPP’s position is very clear. We don’t need these regional tribunals. What we need to do is to strengthen our court system, invest in retooling, train our judges and get those with the necessary integrity to man our courts,” Afenyo-Markin had earlier stated, echoing the party’s stance which Dr. Bawumia has now reinforced.
The former Vice President’s intervention adds to growing opposition from key stakeholders.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has also opposed the plan, describing it as an attempt to revive a “bitter and unfortunate” chapter in Ghana’s history and urging the immediate withdrawal of the Bill.
The TUC further called on President Mahama and Parliament to halt the process and instead focus on strengthening the existing judiciary.
The Tribunal Bill, 2026, laid before Parliament by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, seeks to give effect to Article 126 of the 1992 Constitution.
If assented to, it will establish a two-tier system comprising Regional Tribunals and District Tribunals operating under the supervision of the Judicial Council and a proposed Tribunal Oversight Committee.
Under the proposal, Regional Tribunals will exercise concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court over selected criminal offences including economic crimes, narcotics offences, tax offences and cases involving loss of state funds.
Government has defended the legislation. Dr. Ayine has assured Ghanaians that the new tribunals will not resurrect past human rights abuses, saying “Operationalising the Regional Tribunal does not intend to resurrect the ghost of the past abuses and excesses, and that will not exist in the new dispensation”.
Dr. Bawumia, however, insists the Bill requires further scrutiny. He has appealed to President Mahama to withhold assent, engage the Ghana Bar Association, civil society, the Judiciary and labour unions, and prioritize reforms that invest in court infrastructure and personnel.
The Bill is now expected to be transmitted to President Mahama for assent to become law. ad2d
Supporters of Dr. Bawumia describe him as the incoming president to lead the NPP into the 2028 general elections, a contest in which the Minority Leader has vowed that a future NPP government would dismantle the tribunals if voted back into power.
