President John Mahama has charged the newly sworn in members of the Council of State let their tenure mark a shift from the public perception that they only serve as a rubber stamp of decisions made by the Executive arm of government.

According to him, critics of the institutions called Council of State have questioned its relevance, hence the need to prove such persons wrong.

“In recent times, the Council of State has come under criticism from an expectant public who perceive their work as unsatisfactory and one designed to rubber-stamp executive decisions. Some have even questioned the very relevance of the Council of State and called for it to be scrapped,” President Mahama stated on February 18 when he swore-in the Edward Doe Adjaho-chaired 31-member Council.

This notwithstanding, he expressed belief in the ability of the new members to turn things around.

“I hold that hope that your tenure as Council of State Members will convince those who may doubt the functional necessity about your importance and put to rest any such perceptions,” he urged.

According to Article 89(1) of the 1992 Constitution, the Council of State is “to counsel the President in the performance of his functions.”

The Council of State consists of:

(a) The following persons appointed by the President in consultation with Parliament—

1. One person who has previously held the office of Chief Justice;
2. One person who has previously held the office of Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces of Ghana;

• One person who has previously held the office of Inspector General of Police;

(b) The President of the National House of Chiefs;

(c) One representative from each region of Ghana elected, in accordance with regulations made by the Electoral Commission under article 51 of this Constitution, by an electoral college comprising representatives from each of the districts in the region nominated by the District Assemblies in the region; and (d) Eleven other members appointed by the President.

President Mahama was confident that with their collective wisdom, “we will continue to build a nationa that uphiolds justice, freedom, progress and unity.”

See list of members below:

The representatives from North East and Ashanti regions are; Saaka Abuba and Yaw Owusu Obimpeh respectively.

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