Akufo-Addo’s government intolerant – Ofosu Kwakye

Former Deputy Minister for Information, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, has criticised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's governing approach, likening it to a dictatorial regime from the early 19th century.

Mr Kwakye asserts that the NPP, under Akufo-Addo's leadership, is intolerant of opposition and primarily caters to the interests of a select few within the government.

According to him, the president and his administration prioritize their own interests over the well-being of the masses, exemplified by Akufo-Addo's efforts to stack the courts with his allies, potentially shielding him from accountability once he leaves office.

Mr. Kwakye points out that the president sees nothing wrong with appointing a communications director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a commissioner of the Electoral Commission, even if these individuals are tainted by their political affiliations.

Mr. Kwakye argues that when a government fills state institutions with its loyalists, it amounts to state capture, a term used to describe the undue influence of political elites on the functioning of state institutions.

He contends that Akufo-Addo's administration is employing such tactics to avoid accountability after leaving office.

In addition, Mr. Ofosu Kwakye, who also serves as the National Democratic Congress' Parliamentary Candidate for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankesse Constituency in the Central Region, supported a statement attributed to former President John Dramani Mahama that NDC-affiliated lawyers should aspire to become judges to counterbalance judges appointed by President Akufo-Addo if the NDC regains power in 2025.

Mr Kwakye believes that this approach is a reasonable way for the NDC to address the situation without resorting to the removal of judges currently in office.

Mr. Ofosu Kwakye, who also works as an aide to the former president, made these comments during an interview on the mid-day news programme on Accra 100.5 FM on Monday, September 4, 2023.