Akufo-Addo deceived Ghanaians that he was incorruptible – Azeem

A former Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mr Vitus Azeem believes that the incorruptible credential Mr Akufo-Addo touted before the 2016 and 2020 elections was just a rhetoric.

He said the President has demonstrated in is actions that he cannot fight graft in the country.

Mr Azeem was reacting to the way and manner President Akufo-Addo responded to calls to sack the under fire Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu over the botched Sputnik V deal.

He believed that Mr Akufo-Addo’s posture is a subtle endorsement of the action of his minister.

The president’s anticorruption credentials “ was just a political talk, he used it to deceive and he got our votes twice,” he said.

A former Deputy Minister of Information Felix Kwahye Ofosu also expressed similar sentiment and expressed shock at the way Mr Akufo-Addo chose to react to the calls.

Mr Akufo-Addo on Tuesday August 10 hilariously introduced the underfire health minister as a vilified minister at a function in Domfete in the Berekum West District of the Bono Region.

Mr Agyeman-Manu has taken a two-week leave following the barrage of criticism he suffered over the Sputnik V contract.

On Tuesday, 10th August 2021, President Akufo-Addo commissioned the $16 million Weddi Africa Tomato Processing Factory, a company operating under the 1-District-1-Factory initiative, at Domfete.

While addressing the chiefs and people of the area, he said in the local dialect that “…This is the minister of Health who is being vilified.”

Reacting to Mr Akufo-Addo’s posture Kwakye Ofosu said in a Facebook post that “President Akufo-Addo believes the Health and Finance Ministers’ violation of multiple Ghanaian laws in the Sputnik V scandal is a laughing matter. Incredible!”

Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum has refunded the outstanding money of the botched Sputnik V vaccine supply deal he had with Ghana.

The Health Minister received a barrage of criticisms following the botched deal.

For example, a private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu said the deal that portrayed Ghana as a banana republic,.

He accused the sector minister of breaching the procurement laws in the transaction.

“This is embarrassing,” he said on Accra-based Joy FM, adding “The breach of law is making Ghana look like banana republic.”