Ace investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has revealed that President Akufo-Addo considers him as a “mean” individual.
In an interview with JoyNews, Manasseh Azure described his determined efforts to interview the president regarding a comprehensive 400-page account on him.
He explained that his attempts included reaching out to key figures close to the president.
According to him, he first contacted the president’s cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who informed him that Akufo-Addo was unlikely to participate due to his dissatisfaction with Manasseh’s critical journalism.
“I initially wanted to speak to President Akufo-Addo when writing this book. I remember speaking to his cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
“… people had told me that he [the President] wasn’t happy with the work I was doing. So I asked Gabby if there was a possibility of speaking to him, and he said, ‘I don’t think he will speak to you.’ I asked why, and he said, ‘The President thinks you’ve been mean to him.’
“And I said, ‘But I even spoke to former President Mahama [despite criticising him],’ and Gabby said, ‘People are different and how they process things differs,’” he added.
Manasseh noted that despite his willingness to engage with former President Mahama under similar circumstances, Otchere-Darko suggested that the president’s reaction was unique to his personal feelings.
Undeterred, Manasseh approached the president’s legal counsel, Mr Kow Essuman, who referred him back to Mr Otchere-Darko.
Mr Otchere-Darko then advised Manasseh to submit a formal request for an interview.
Despite the challenges, Manasseh concluded that his book, which covers Akufo-Addo’s presidency, remains comprehensive and insightful, even without the president’s input.
“I spoke to a number of people within his government who confirmed a lot of things, and I had an extensive interview with Gabby for about two hours, where I asked questions about some of the decisions, the family, among other things,” he said.
“So I don’t think I missed anything significant from not speaking to the president for this book. I would have loved to, but the circumstances didn’t permit,” he stressed.