A Ghanaian lawyer and law lecturer says Ghana cannot be a democracy nationally and an oligarchy internally.
In a Facebook post, Lom Nuku Ahlijah has thrown his weight behind a Supreme Court case challenging the delegate systems used by major political parties.
In his published analysis, Ahlijah argues that if sovereignty resides in the people as Article 1 of the Constitution declares, then internal party processes must reflect that reality.
He insists that political parties cannot hide behind the argument that they are private organisations.
“They nominate presidential candidates who may assume executive authority and parliamentary candidates who shape the legislature,” he notes.
Given that independent candidates rarely win parliamentary seats, he argues that party primaries often determine who governs Ghana.
According to Ahlijah, small delegate systems concentrate influence in narrow circles and may unintentionally encourage transactional politics.
“You cannot easily monetise a constituency-wide electorate,” he argues, advocating universal voting for all registered party members.
While critics cite cost and complexity, Ahlijah insists administrative difficulty is not a constitutional defence.
“Democracy is not about convenience. It is about alignment with the constitutional spirit,” he writes.
He describes the case as part of Ghana’s democratic evolution arguing that the next frontier of reform lies within political parties themselves.
As the Supreme Court considers the matter, the debate over internal party democracy is likely to intensify nationwide.
