President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has accepted full responsibility regarding the positive and negative outcomes of his government.
According to him, there must be no confusion about who shoulders the consequences for the success of any decision implemented for the betterment of citizens.
President Akufo-Addo while delivering the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, said; “Under the constitution, the executive power of the state is vested in the President of the Republic. He or she is the executive. There’s no ambiguity about where the buck stops when it comes to responsibility for what happens in government. It stops with the President,” he said.
His comment seeks to explain the statement made by the flagbearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia indicating that he is only a “mate” to Akufo-Addo during his lecture on ‘Ghana’s Next Chapter: Selfless Leadership and Bold Solutions for the Future’ at the University of Professional Studies in Accra on February 7, 2024.
Subsequently, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the importance of advice from officials and ministers and reaffirmed that the president holds the executive power, with the cabinet and ministers acting in an advisory capacity.
“Of course, a member of the government might turn an idea generated by the President or an official into a huge success, and the honors will be claimed or shared when public perception is favorable,” President Akufo-Addo remarked.
“But ultimately, the president is responsible and therefore takes the credit or the blame for whatever happens in his or her government” he added.