A section of Ghanaians has in recent times raised concerns over the alleged involvement of President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo’s family in the affairs of government. Latest to add his voice is the founder of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike.
According to him, the President’s family has occupied certain key and sensitive government positions, with loans and contracts going through their banks.
In an interview on the maiden ‘Game Changer’ segment on Pure Drive hosted by Kpo Sebor, Mr. Odike opined that the president already had plans to amass wealth before ascending the seat.
”I know businessmen and people here in the Ashanti region who donated their vehicles to support the NPP campaign during the 2016 and 2020 elections because they believed in the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia promises. Little did we know that he was pushing his parochial interest and not national. Not knowing he had a hidden agenda. Just look at the cabal and cronyism around him. Our loans are transacted through his cousin’s bank – who owns Data Bank? Even the law firm handling issues with loans are his family’s, why he quizzed.
The UPP leader stated that the New Patriotic Party(NPP) manifesto made Ghanaians believe that Akufo-Addo is the best to salvage the country from the economic hardship, ‘but no, it was all an agenda’ he stressed.
”How on earth do we contract loans that benefit the president’s family? Family and friends kind of government. The Akyem family has taken over the governance space. their profligate lifestyle, affluent living tells it all. We all believed at the time that Mahama had failed and the sure way to revive the economy was to make Akufo-Addo president and no one else. Ghanaians trusted in him more than God. We were made to trust in the promises of this government. It turned out to be vice versa.”
Speaking on the 1992 constitution, he called on the government to review the constitution to repeal the prerogative powers given to the president and make the members of the executive arm accountable to the people.
”There are a few practical things I believed when done will revive the system, -Like the constitutional review. Our current constitution is obsolete, we need a refined one to address the current challenges in the country, and Nana Addo mentioned this while in opposition. One district one factory is one great policy that I support, free education and planting for food are all great. These are the reasons for which I campaigned for the NPP because all these looked perfect on paper. In all this, implementation and commitment to make this a reality was more of political rhetoric.”
Odike further stated that the 1992 constitution simply protects the executive arm of government from stringent investigation and prosecution after misappropriating or embezzling funds, adding that the youth in Ghana would remain desolate irrespective of who becomes the next president if the constitution is not reviewed or changed.
Source: Mypurefmonline.com| Ghana| 2022
