PRESS RELEASE

 NPP External Branches Hit Back At TUC Over Dual Citizenship, Demand Amendment Of Article 94(2)

Accra - The External Branches of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have strongly rejected the position of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) opposing the recommendation to allow dual citizens to contest parliamentary elections and hold ministerial positions.

At a press conference in Accra, the NPP diaspora described the TUC's stance as inconsistent, exploitative and based on unfounded anxieties.

The press conference was necessitated by a statement attributed to the General Secretary of the TUC, Mr. Joshua Ansah on September 9, 2026.

Mr. Ansah is quoted as saying: "The TUC disagrees with recommendation to amend Article 94(2) to allow dual citizens to contest parliamentary elections and become members of Parliament while remaining a citizen of another country. In fact, we characterize the recommendation as self-serving and a direct assault on genuine citizenship. It is contradictory and serves no useful purpose for the country."

Responding, the External Branches said the original restriction on dual citizenship was rooted in the political anxieties of the PNDC era.

According to the statement, the framers of the 1992 Constitution feared that Ghanaians who fled the regime and sought asylum abroad would return with vengeance. That argument was defeated on December 28, 1996 when Act 527 was assented to, recognising dual citizenship for the first time.

The Branches recalled that on April 24, 2024, in the landmark case of Francis Osei-Bonsu v Attorney General [J1/18/2023], the Supreme Court by a 6-1 majority declared as unconstitutional provisions in the Citizenship Act, 2000 (Act 591) that barred dual citizens from becoming Chief Justice, Commissioner of the VAT Service, Director-General of Prisons, Chief Fire Officer, Chief Director of a Ministry and Colonel or its equivalent.

Speaking on behalf of the Branches, the statement argued that a passport acquired through naturalisation is not evidence of divided loyalty but a travel and work document.

"A passport acquired through naturalisation is not evidence of divided loyalty. It is, for most, a travel and work document. In law, it is not different from Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, a Green Card in the US, or a permanent residence permit elsewhere," the statement said.

It argued that since a person holding permanent residency has been eligible to hold public office since 1992, there is no principled distinction. The Branches added that loyalty is demonstrated by conduct and oath, not by the number of passports, and that history shows those convicted of espionage and corruption against Ghana have overwhelmingly been single-citizenship holders.

"If we can trust a dual citizen to be Chief Justice, as the Supreme Court now allows, why can we not trust the same citizen to be a Member of Parliament?" the statement questioned.

The External Branches said over 32 African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Rwanda have removed such restrictions and are treating their diaspora as a strategic resource. They commended former MP for Akim Swedru, Hon. Kennedy Osei Nyarko for introducing a Private Member's Bill in the last Parliament seeking to remove the restriction.

They cited Lord Paul Boateng, Abena Oppong-Asare, Kwasi Kwarteng, Samia Nkrumah and Kofi Annan as examples of dual citizens who served with distinction.

On the economic case, the Branches said dual citizens are central to Ghana's economy. Citing Bank of Ghana data, they said remittances rose from $5.11 billion in 2023 to $6.65 billion in 2024 and nearly $7.8 billion by end of 2025, representing about 6% of GDP.

"Remittances now exceed Foreign Direct Investment by over $4.9 billion, and in the last decade (2014-2023), Ghana received $28.6 billion in remittances, more than the $18.7 billion earned from cocoa exports. Remittances are now Ghana's second-largest foreign exchange earner after gold," the statement noted.

Quoting Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, the Branches said: "The Ghanaian diaspora is not peripheral to our economy. You are central to our external stability, to our investment strategy, and to our economic transformation agenda."

"Can we continue to take $7.8 billion a year from a people and tell them they are not Ghanaian enough to serve? That is taxation without representation," they said.

The statement also raised concerns about second-generation Ghanaians born in London, Toronto, Hamburg or New Jersey who bear Ghanaian names and want to serve but feel treated as second-class citizens.

It argued that Ghana cannot invite Africans in the diaspora through the Year of Return and Beyond the Return, granting citizenship to persons like Stevie Wonder and Idris Elba for their investment potential, and then forbid them from having a voice in governance.

"You cannot invite someone to build the house and then forbid them from entering the living room. We cannot celebrate them as Ghanaians when they remit and invest, and then reject them as foreigners when they offer to serve," the Branches said.

The External Branches concluded with a call to amend Article 94(2) of the 1992 Constitution.

"Let us be clear: We are all Ghanaians. Whether born in Kumasi or Cologne, whether holding one passport or two, Ghanaian blood is Ghanaian blood. The Black Star cannot shine fully if we deliberately dim half its light. Let us amend Article 94(2) and affirm that once a Ghanaian, always a Ghanaian," the statement said.

The statement was issued on behalf of the External Branches by Andy Owusu, NPP UK Branch Chairman.