Manasseh Azure Awuni, the author of a new book: “The President Ghana Never Got” expressed his view that President Akufo-Addo would have left a respected legacy behind if he had died without ever becoming president.
The renowned Ghanaian journalist and author shared his thought about the president as he reacts to numerous media engagements after the much-anticipated book bearing the image of President Akuffo Addo was launched a week ago.
In one of the interviews on Accra based Channel One TV, Manasseh conveyed his profound dissatisfaction with the President's conduct, stating that he would have regarded him more highly had he either never assumed office or died prior to taking office.
He expressed worries that, after seven years in office, many Ghanaians were left feeling disappointed by the President's conduct, which did not live up to his pre-election promises.
Manasseh thinks President Akufo-Addo had the capacity to lead Ghana in a revolutionary way, but in the end, that capacity was not fulfilled.
“If Akufo-Addo had died without becoming President, I would have respected him more than I do now. His place in history would have been more significant than it is as President. We would have seen him as a visionary leader who could have transformed Ghana, but unfortunately, that opportunity was lost.
“Unfortunately, or fortunately, we got him, but he was not the leader some of us expected. The Akufo-Addo we anticipated was not the President we got. So, in a sense, he became the President Ghana never truly had.”
Manasseh, whom the ruling government then accused of doing the bidding of the opposition to get Akuffo Addo elected confessed that he truly supported and celebrated when he won power in 2016.
However, after nearly eight years of his favourite choice ascending to the presidency, Mr. Awuni has been complaining about the life-threatening conditions he has been exposed to as a journalist.
“In 2016, much had happened, and the question was whether Ghanaians were going to re-elect Mahama. When Akufo-Addo was announced as President, I celebrated it as if I had won myself,” he said.
