President John Dramani Mahama has ruled out a bid for a third term in office, reaffirming his commitment to the country’s constitutional two-term limit as speculation mounts over his political future.
Speaking during a state visit to Singapore on Tuesday, Mahama said he would not contest the 2028 presidential election, framing the decision as a matter of principle and fiscal prudence.
“Respecting the two-term limit gives me the freedom to focus on sound economic management without the political pressure of reelection,” Mahama told reporters following bilateral talks with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
The Ghanaian leader criticized what he described as a recurring pattern among governments of ramping up public spending in election years to win favor with voters. He argued that avoiding a third-term bid would shield his administration from such temptations.
Mahama pointed to signs of economic recovery under his current term—including declining inflation, falling interest rates, and a stabilizing Ghanaian cedi—as evidence of his administration’s success in restoring macroeconomic stability.
The president’s remarks appear aimed at countering opposition claims that he may be eyeing a third term, a move that would violate Ghana’s constitutional term limits.
Reinforcing the president’s position, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said in a separate interview that the party has no intention of fielding Mahama in future presidential contests.
“We have never run our party in ways that conflict with the national constitution, and we don’t intend to do that,” Asiedu Nketiah said in an interview on Face to Face, a program on Ghana’s Channel One TV. “We will stick by the tenets of the Constitution.”
Mahama, who previously served as president from 2012 to 2017 and returned to power in the 2024 elections, is constitutionally limited to two terms. His current term is set to end in 2029.
