The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has issued a strongly worded rebuttal to claims that the government has reintroduced entrance examinations for prospective law students, describing the assertions as “misleading”, “legally indefensible”, and rooted in partisan misinformation.
In a press release dated 30 April 2026, the South Dayi legislator took direct aim at fellow Member of Parliament, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, over what he characterised as an inaccurate and premature interpretation of Ghana’s evolving legal education reforms.
“My attention has been drawn to a rather unfortunate statement… regarding the alleged ‘reintroduction’ of entrance examinations for prospective law students,” Mr Dafeamekpor stated, expressing disappointment in what he described as a lapse in legal reasoning from a trained lawyer and lawmaker. “Matters involving legislation, constitutional procedure, and legal education cannot be approached with the recklessness of roadside propaganda and partisan sensationalism,” he added.
At the heart of the dispute is the yet-to-be-finalised Legal Education Bill recently passed by the Parliament of Ghana. According to the Majority Chief Whip, the bill has not matured into operational law and is still undergoing post-passage drafting and corrections before it can be transmitted to the President, John Dramani Mahama, for assent.
“Until that constitutional process is completed and presidential assent is granted, the existing legal framework governing the Ghana School of Law remains valid, binding, and operational,” he explained, adding: “This is basic legislative procedure known to every lawyer and legislator.”
He stressed that any suggestion that the government has “reintroduced” entrance examinations is fundamentally flawed, as the current system, including entrance requirements, has not yet been repealed. “One cannot reintroduce what has not yet been repealed,” he stated.
Dafeamekpor further dismissed reports circulating on social media and within political circles that prospective law students would be required to sit an entrance examination scheduled for 31 July 2026.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Government… has not introduced any new entrance examination regime for prospective law students. The Ghana School of Law has issued no official public advertisement directing prospective students to sit any such examination,” he said.
He cautioned that such claims were fuelling unnecessary panic among students and the public, driven more by “hearsay, speculation, and politically convenient assumptions” than by verified facts.
Clarifying the intent behind the Legal Education Bill, the Majority Chief Whip emphasised that the reforms are designed to broaden access to legal education in Ghana by allowing accredited institutions to operate under a new regulatory framework, once the bill receives presidential assent and is formally implemented.
“That is the real reform agenda before the country, not this manufactured narrative of betrayal and policy reversal,” he noted.
He acknowledged longstanding structural challenges within Ghana’s legal education system, including limited access, infrastructure deficits, and capacity constraints at the professional training level. These issues, he argued, require “mature engagement and evidence-based reform”, rather than politicised distortions.
In a pointed appeal, Mr Dafeamekpor urged politicians, stakeholders, and the general public, particularly prospective law students, to rely on verified information and respect constitutional processes.
“The conversation on legal education is far too important to be polluted by political fearmongering,” he said. “Facts matter. Constitutional procedure matters. And truth matters far more than political theatre.”
The statement adds a new layer to the ongoing debate over legal education reform in Ghana, a sector that has for years faced criticism over its restrictive intake system and perceived bottlenecks in professional legal training.
As the Legal Education Bill awaits final procedural steps, attention is likely to remain fixed on how the reforms will reshape access to the legal profession and whether political consensus can be achieved around such a critical national issue.
