President John Dramani Mahama has publicly instructed two senior members of his own National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary majority to withdraw a private members’ bill that seeks to repeal the law establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), a key institution in Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture.
The directive comes amid intensifying debate over the performance and future of the OSP, which was created in 2017 as an independent prosecutorial body empowered to investigate and charge corruption-related offences without referral to the Attorney-General’s office.
President Mahama’s intervention reflects growing concern in government and civil society about proposals from within Parliament that risk undermining public trust in Ghana’s anti-graft framework.
The bill to dissolve the OSP was drafted earlier this week by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, both senior members of the ruling NDC caucus. The legislation, if adopted, would repeal the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act and effectively abolish the independent institution, arguing that its functions could be absorbed within a reformed Attorney-General’s office or other prosecutorial structures.
Supporters of the bill contend that the dual-prosecutor model has produced inefficiencies and has not delivered significant results in tackling corruption since the OSP’s establishment. Some backers also question the office’s constitutional footing and budgetary burden, suggesting Parliament should reconsider its continued existence.
In response to the bill, President Mahama has urged Mr Ayariga, Mr Dafeamekpor, and the NDC parliamentary leadership to withdraw the proposal immediately. He told lawmakers that the OSP remains an important safeguard against corruption and that efforts should focus on strengthening, not dismantling, institutions that uphold accountability.
President Mahama has also emphasized in recent statements that calls to abolish the OSP are “premature” and that the office should be given more time and resources to demonstrate its effectiveness. He highlighted the OSP’s unique prosecutorial independence as critical to maintaining public confidence in Ghana’s fight against corruption.
In telling the National Peace Council earlier this week that he believes ending the OSP now would be ill-timed, President Mahama stressed that it is the only agency with full prosecutorial authority separate from executive influence. Public distrust of the Attorney-General’s office, which is part of the sitting government, underlined his point.
The clash over the OSP comes against a backdrop of heightened political tensions in Ghana. The NDC returned to power following the December 2024 general election and has launched Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), a major anti-corruption initiative aimed at investigating alleged misappropriation of state resources in previous administrations.
Nevertheless, some in and outside Parliament argue the OSP has not met expectations, pointing to a perceived slow pace of prosecutions and limited high-profile convictions. Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has publicly questioned the continued allocation of large budgetary resources to the office relative to its recorded outputs.
Critics of the repeal proposal, including civil society groups, warn that abolishing the OSP could erode Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture and betray public trust. The Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana recently described moves to dismantle the office as “the greatest betrayal of trust,” urging careful reflection and consultation before any drastic legal changes.
Parliament is yet to formally table the repeal bill for debate or a second reading. But with the President’s instruction now on record, attention will shift to whether the NDC majority will heed President Mahama’s call or pursue the proposal amid competing views within the party and broader political class.
