Winner-takes-all provisions of 1992 Constitution should be reviewed – Prof Ajei  

Professor Martin Odei Ajei, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Classics, University of Ghana, has supported the call for a review of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. 

He argued that some elements of the Constitution, particularly Article 50, entrenched the mentality of “winner-takes-all” and did not match with the ethical and legal norms of nation building. 

“Whenever there is a need for constitutional review, we should consider that we have a constitution that speaks with the principles and lives of Ghanaians. 

“It should reflect a form of consensual democracy that is better situated with our social settings and ideas about government,” he stressed. 

Professor Ajei made the call at the annual Ephraim Amu Memorial Lecture organised by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in Accra.  

He was speaking on the topic, “The Ethics of Nation-Building: Perspectives from the Legon Tradition of Philosophy.”

Prof Ajei said articles of the Constitution should contain moral and ethical ideals aimed at the common good of Ghanaians.  

The rules governing those provisions should be based on the historical and cultural philosophical perspectives on human welfare and fellowship.  

Prof. Ajei described nation-building as an intentional effort that brought people together to support a shared vision and aim.  

He stated that nation building, which required transformative leadership and responsible citizenship, was a political and moral imperative.  

“Political because of the aspiration to forge a political unit whose citizens think, act and live in unified pursuit of demarcated ideals – in the case of Ghana – of the ideals of freedom and justice. 

“And moral because the ideals such as freedom and justice are moral, in as much as they seek to ensure the harmonious coexistence of Ghanaians; as well as their survival, interests and welfare,” he added.  

Source: GNA