The Minority in Parliament is raising red flags over revelations that Ghana has become a receiving point for deportees from the United States, describing the arrangement as unconstitutional and a threat to the nation’s sovereignty.
The concern was triggered after President John Mahama disclosed at his maiden media encounter that 14 individuals had already been flown in as part of the arrangement.
According to the President, most of the deportees were Nigerians, with one Gambian national among them.
He explained: “We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US, and then we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable, because all our fellow West Africans don’t need a visa to come to our country.
“So if they decided to travel from the US to Accra, they don’t need a visa anyway. So if you are bringing our colleague West Africans back, that’s okay.”
But the Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee insists this agreement breaches the Constitution.
“This revelation raises serious constitutional, sovereignty, and foreign policy concerns which cannot be overlooked,” the statement signed by Ranking Member Samuel Abdulai Jinapor said.
Citing Article 75 of the Constitution, the Minority stressed that “any treaty, agreement, or convention executed by or under the authority of the President must be laid before Parliament and ratified.”
The statement referenced Supreme Court rulings in Banful v Attorney General and Brogya Gyamfi v Attorney General to argue that the purported agreement with the United States falls squarely within this scope.
The Minority recalled that the Mahama administration’s earlier decision to admit two Yemeni terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay without parliamentary approval was ruled unconstitutional.
“Beyond this blatant constitutional breach, the agreement raises pressing concerns of sovereignty, security, and policy,” the statement noted.
The Caucus warned that Ghana risks being perceived internationally as aligning itself with the U.S. government’s immigration enforcement regime, “one which has been criticised as harsh and discriminatory.”
It cautioned that this association could damage Ghana’s reputation for principled diplomacy rooted in non-alignment and regional solidarity.
“The Ghanaian people deserve transparency and accountability on a matter that so directly implicates our sovereignty, our constitutional order, and our foreign policy,” the statement added.
The Minority is demanding that government immediately disclose when the agreement was reached, whether it was laid before Parliament, and why deportees were received without parliamentary ratification.
The Minority has therefore called for the suspension of the arrangement.
“We call on the Government to suspend, with immediate effect, the unconstitutional implementation of this agreement until Parliament has duly exercised its constitutional mandate to ratify same.”
It also demanded clarity on security safeguards and broader implications for the country.
“We will continue to hold Government accountable in the conduct of foreign policy and in all matters affecting the welfare and sovereignty of our people,” Jinapor concluded.
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Source: myjoyonline.com
