The annual Ghana Bar Conference is facing allegations of being misused as a political campaign platform, with Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo, the Director of Legal Affairs of the NDC, claiming that it has become a tool for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to campaign against John Mahama in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
This controversy stems from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's speech delivered during the 2023 Ghana Bar Association Annual Conference in Cape Coast on Monday, September 11, 2023.
During his address, President Akufo-Addo appeared to target former President John Dramani Mahama, who had previously declared, 'I'm not going to be a clearing agent president.'
In response to the accusation that he clears his appointees accused of corruption without due process, President Akufo-Addo emphasized that his government's anti-corruption efforts set an unmatched precedence in Ghana's history since gaining independence.
The President clarified, stating, "Every single alleged act of corruption leveled against any of my appointees has been investigated by independent bodies such as CHRAJ (Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice) and CID. It is not my role to clear or convict any person accused of wrongdoing or engaging in acts of corruption; that is the responsibility of the courts and law enforcement agencies."
He further elucidated that his duty was to respond to corruption allegations by referring them to the appropriate investigative bodies, potentially including the suspension of the implicated official pending the conclusion of the investigation.
In response to President Akufo-Addo's speech, Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo expressed his criticism on Facebook;
"The Ghana Bar Conference has become a dubious campaign platform for the NPP to campaign against John Mahama in the 2024 election. The evidence is that Akufo Addo, at the Conference, urged voters to vote against John Mahama," he wrote.
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