Contemporary Constitutional Issues in our Multiparty Democracy me here, it is not too late to correct the error. We will just file out now, consume the coke and disperse. Now to the topic for the day; “ Contemporary Constitutional Issues in Our Multiparty Democracy ” . The more I thought about this topic in the last few days the more I was tempted to deliver this lecture in one minute. Why do I say this? The topic can be disposed of in three short statements. 1. First, there are no contemporary constitutional issues in Ghana; all the issues that we pretend are contemporary have been discussed for decades unend; 2. Second, a lot of the constitutional matters which we portray as constitutional issues are not issues at all, and cannot, therefore, be constitutional issues; and 3. Third, many of the issues that should be included in the list of constitutional issues have never ever been mentioned by those clamouring for the amendment of the Constitution. This could easily have been the end of this lecture. However, since those organizing the refreshments are not yet ready, I will spend a little more time doing two things. First, I will say a few things about the Re Akoto Case 1 since this is a Re Akoto Lecture. Second, I will try to explain what I mean by the three points which I say are the summary of this lecture. I will crave your indulgence here to be particularly attentive because I am about to raise issues about the Re Akoto Case which we have always neglected and considered mundane and proceed to establish that they are the most critical issues we need to be focusing on as a nation. The first observation I will like to make about the Re Akoto Case is that it mostly concerned ordinary persons. Aside BAFFOUR OSEI AKOTO, who was then a Senior Linguist to the Asantehene and NANA ANTWI BUSIAKO ALIAS JOHN MENSAH, “ Nkofohene ” of Kumasi, the others were PETER ALEX DANSO ALIAS KWAKU DANSO, Lorry Driver; OSEI ASSIBEY MENSAH, Storekeeper; JOSEPH KOJO ANTWI­KUSI ALIAS ANANE ANTWI-KUSI, simply identified in the detention order as “ of Kumasi ” (he most probably had no fixed address and was unemployed); BENJAMIN KWEKU OWUSU, Produce Manager; ANDREW KOJO EDUSEI, Auctioneer and Letter Writer; and HALIDU KRAMO; Transport Owner. These were very ordinary people. The brunt of dictatorship often falls on ordinary people. Yet ordinary people are 1 Re Akoto[1961] GLR 523, S.C and Re Akoto 2 G& G(Gyandoh& Griffiths), 160. 6