The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected proposals to increase the number of seats in Ghana’s Parliament from the current 276 to a maximum of 300.
The party argues that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that expanding the legislature would necessarily improve parliamentary effectiveness, representation or governance.
The NPP’s position was presented by the Member of Parliament for Gushegu, Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana, at a press conference on Thursday, September 17, 2026, as the party responded to proposals under the ongoing constitutional reform process.
The proposed expansion would create 24 additional parliamentary seats through a proportional representation system, with the arrangement intended to enhance the participation of women, young people and persons with disabilities. The government has accepted the proposal to cap Parliament at 300 members, subject to the constitutional amendment process and an independent study on the design of the proportional representation component.
However, Mr. Tampuli said the NPP disagrees with both the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) recommendation and the government’s position to expand the legislature.
He maintained that Ghana’s existing 276-member Parliament already provides substantial representation in relation to the country’s population and questioned the justification for creating additional seats.
“Both the CRC and the government recommended an expanded legislature, to have a ceiling of 300 legislators. The additional 24 legislators will be based on proportional representation, including women, the youth and also persons with disabilities. We disagree with both positions.”
He added that any decision to increase the number of parliamentary seats should be supported by clear evidence demonstrating how the expansion would address existing challenges confronting the legislature.
According to Mr. Tampuli, Ghana should consider whether increasing the number of lawmakers would translate into measurable improvements in parliamentary performance.
He cited Nigeria as a point of comparison, noting that the country, with a population of more than 240 million, has a bicameral legislature comprising the Senate and House of Representatives.
“We are 32 million, and so why do we need more than 276 MPs? There is no demonstrated evidence that increasing the number of Parliamentary seats will necessarily make Parliament more effective,” he said.
The NPP’s position comes as Ghana continues to consider a broad range of constitutional reforms proposed by the CRC and subsequently considered by government.
The proposed 300-member Parliament would retain the existing 276 constituency seats, with the additional 24 seats allocated through proportional representation to improve the participation of groups that have historically been underrepresented in Parliament.
For the NPP, however, any expansion of the legislature should be preceded by clear evidence that the additional seats would deliver tangible improvements in parliamentary effectiveness and representation.
