Renowned Ghanaian journalist and author, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has suggested that President Akufo-Addo’s legacy would have been more esteemed if he had never assumed office.
In an interview on Accra based Channel One TV, Manasseh expressed deep disappointment in the President’s performance, asserting that he would have held him in higher regard if he had either never taken office or had passed away before doing so.
Manasseh believes that President Akufo-Addo had the potential to be a transformative leader for Ghana, but that potential was ultimately unrealized.
He voiced concerns that the President’s actions did not align with his pre-election promises, leaving many Ghanaians disillusioned after seven years of his leadership.
“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 also revealed that he had initially supported and celebrated Akufo-Addo’s election but later felt let down during his presidency.
“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 confessed.