Akufo-Addo is a giant who is fighting people who are fighting corruption

Ivan Kyei Innocent, a Social commentator has stated that President Akufo-Addo is the giant who is fighting against persons who are fighting corruption in Ghana.

Ivan noted that prior to President Akufo-Addo taking office in January 2017, Anas Aremayaw Anas, and Manasseh Azuri Awuni were global heroes that were celebrated for their fight against corruption.

However, upon president Akufo-Addo taking office, these personalities have been called names, tortured and vilified.

“In the media, you know what they are doing to some of your guys [Journalists]. You’ve seen what happened to Manasseh Azuri Awuni. Anas, you’ve seen what happened to him.

“Prior to Akufo Addo coming to office, he was a global hero, people held him in high esteem. But when they came, Anas has been bastardized, he has been called names, he has been insulted, he has been vilified, he has been threatened…

“They’ve done all sort of things and unholy allegations has been castigated against his name. Now Anas is irrelevant within this political discourse because of Akufo-Addo. He unleashed attacking dogs on him and destroyed him.

“His colleague [Ahmed Suale] has been killed and till today, have you seen any investigation ongoing? But if you go to East Legon and killed someone’s dog do you think the owner will sit aloft. But till today no investigation has been done[in the case of Ahmed Suale].

So Akufo-Addo has turned out to be nothing but a big disappointment”, Ivan noted while speaking on several social issues from politics to sports on Thursday, February 17, 2022, on the Active Morning Show with Agyenim Boateng Adjaye on Active TV.

Akufo-Addo Anti-Courrption Tag

It will be recalled that President Akufo Addo in 2020 when he met the press at the Jubilee house reiterated his stance on corruption saying “I am certainly not corrupt. I continue to say that I am not corrupt; I have not been corrupt. I have not taken any money from anybody to give anybody any contract. It is not part of my arrangement.

The President made it clear that his posture towards the fight against corruption had not changed but said that he cannot also supervise an administration where due processes are not followed in the prosecution of persons accused of corruption.

He stated that there were some 21 former government officials who were currently on trial for corruption, with the amounts involved totalling over GH¢700 million.

“People are saying there are no prosecutions. Twenty-one people are on trial in Ghana today for corruption. One of the things that I am not prepared to do under any conditions is to do away with due process. I fought for it all my life in Ghana that we will have a state in Ghana which recognizes and accepts and acknowledges due process as a fundamental instrument of state policy,” he stated.

The president also noted that he was not at the Presidency to shield appointees accused of corruption.

“It is not my job to clear or convict any person accused of wrongdoing, or of engaging in acts of corruption. My job is to act on allegations of corruption by referring the issue or issues to the appropriate investigative agencies for the relevant enquiry and necessary action. “That is exactly what has been done since I assumed the mantle of leadership.

“If an appointee is cleared of any wrongdoing, the evidence adduced and recommendations made by these agencies, after the investigations are concluded, are what clear the accused persons, not myself”, the president stated.

However, a few years down the line, the corruption perception index CPI has cited president Akufo Addo’s performance and fight against corruption as worse as compared to former president John Dramani Mahama.

But the president disagree saying the CPI cannot be justified since it was just a mere perception.

This posture in addition to downplaying the anti-graft institution of the President according to Ivan has portrayed Mr. Akufo-Addo’s administration as a misguided approach to leadership.

Source: Richard Mensah Adonu | Join our Telegram Group