President Akufo-Addo has denied the Speaker of Parliament’s claims that he is now a lame-duck president following the selection of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer for the 2024 election.
President Akufo-Addo emphasized that he will fulfill his presidential duties until January 7, 2025, as mandated by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
On Tuesday, November 21, Speaker Alban Bagbin called for collaboration between the government and the Minority side to prevent potential stalemates.
Speaker Bagbin suggested that Dr Bawumia’s election could lead to a shift in loyalties among MPs, possibly causing neglect of their responsibilities to the current president, whom he referred to as leading a ‘lame-duck’ administration.
“I expect the majority who have a limping majority leader, limping because when you look at his back you’re less than those in front of you.
“You have a lame duck president, a lame duck because you have elected a flagbearer and loyalty and commitment are shifting. So your president is now lame duck president.”
“You need this side of the house to support you to finish your eight years. And so if you don’t behave well we have a difficulty in proceeding as a nation,” he said.
But during a gathering of chiefs and residents in Nima, Accra, President Akufo-Addo reiterated his authority over the country, affirming that he will continue to lead until January 7, 2025, in accordance with the constitution.
“Speaker Bagbin says I am a lame duck. Well, that is his language. I am still the president of the republic and I will continue to do so until January 7, 2025. I have no doubt that the power to make decisions and to carry out policies is still firmly in my hands, and I am not going to let it go.”
“So I don’t know what he is talking about when he says I am a lame-duck president. I am not a lame-duck president,” President Akufo-Addo stated.