Nigerian public relations expert Chude Jideonwo, who played a role in Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s successful presidential campaign, has described the outcome of the former Ghanaian President’s eight-year administration as tragic.

Jideonwo, who was part of the communications team that helped Akufo-Addo secure power, said he was unable to understand how a government that began with considerable public goodwill and high expectations ended up being viewed so negatively, particularly over its handling of the economy.

Speaking in a recent interview on the Afropolitan Podcast, Chude Jideonwo said that the Akufo-Addo administration had some of the brightest minds from across the world and appeared to have everything going for it when it assumed office.

“I honestly don't know what happened in Ghana,” he said.

He added: “I don't know how it ended up being seen so catastrophically, especially on the economy, which was supposed to be the strongest suit of this incoming administration, and it had everything going for it.”

According to him, the administration enjoyed strong domestic and international support during its early days, with many people expecting it to deliver on its promises.

Jideonwo said that he was particularly surprised by the contrast between the optimism surrounding the campaign and the eventual assessment of the government's performance.

Reflecting on the campaign, he disclosed that his team had adopted the strategy used in the election campaign of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, rather than developing an entirely new approach for Ghana.

He explained that his team conducted focus group discussions to understand the Ghanaian electorate before settling on the strategy.

“When we finished doing the focus group, when I say we don't want to develop a new strategy, we literally carried the Buhari strategy. Copy and paste and copied and pasted it,” he said.

He noted that the political circumstances in Ghana and Nigeria at the time appeared similar, making the Buhari campaign strategy suitable for Akufo-Addo's presidential bid.

Jideonwo also recalled how enthusiastic he was about Akufo-Addo's prospects when he first encountered him, describing the former President as personable and someone who appeared capable of delivering significant progress for Ghana.

He said the campaign generated considerable excitement, with expectations that Ghana was on the verge of a major transformation.

The Nigerian PR expert, however, acknowledged that his personal relationship with the Akufo-Addo family could make it difficult for him to offer an entirely detached assessment of the former President's administration.

He disclosed that the family had been gracious and kind to him, adding that Akufo-Addo had personally attended and delivered the keynote address at The Future Awards in Nigeria the year after becoming President, in appreciation of the work his team had done during the campaign.

He said he treasured those relationships but wanted to be as authentic as possible in sharing his reflections.

Jideonwo stressed that his criticism was not necessarily directed at Akufo-Addo personally but was an attempt to understand how the campaign's promises and expectations eventually contrasted with the government's record.

He suggested that one possible explanation was that political leaders who consider themselves better than their opponents sometimes fail to exercise the humility needed to constantly examine their own conduct.

“I think that maybe the close I've come to is that sometimes we think we are so better than the so-called bad guys that we don't have the humility of rechecking ourselves,” he said.

He further joked that Ghana might have been influenced by developments in neighbouring Nigeria, suggesting that the similarities between the two countries' political experiences could have contributed to the outcome.

Describing the eventual outcome of the Akufo-Addo administration, Jideonwo said: “It's tragic for me how that ended up.”

Watch a video of his remarks below:

He helped elect Buhari in 2015. Then took the same playbook to Ghana and helped elect Akufo-Addo. "Copy and paste."

8 years later, the naira had lost over half its value and Ghana had defaulted.

I asked Chude Jideonwo what went wrong. His answer: "I honestly don't know." https://t.co/w0ZyHkik8w

— Eche Emole 🅰️🌶 (@Echecrates) November 5, 2026