If Akufo-Addo who managed a small law firm is President, why not a former Vice-Chancellor? - Manasseh

Renowned investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has argued that opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) running mate Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is well-placed to be President of Ghana, arguing that she has what it takes to run the country in the absence of the President.

For him, given that the current President, who ran a relatively small law firm, is President then Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang who ran a whole University as Vice-Chancellor could also be President if backgrounds were the yardstick.

“In their lives outside politics, Nana Akufo-Addo managed a small law firm in Adabraka, with a few tens of lawyers. Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang managed a big public university with thousands of employees and tens of thousands of students. If Akufo-Addo can be trusted to manage our nation, why can’t the professor do the same?

Have we not amply demonstrated that we do not care about the character and actions of our leaders? How has Akufo-Addo’s background as a human right and rule of law advocate influenced his presidency that Professor Opoku-Agyemang’s background cannot?” He wondered.

Manasseh Azure Awuni added that it is a plus that no corruption allegation has been levelled against her even though she held positions that could have facilitated her commission of corrupt acts.

It is his contention that if Prof Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang brings nothing of value to the NDC ticket going into the elections, then she takes nothing away.

“The good thing about Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang is that since her name came up, no one has talked about corruption even though, as a Vice-Chancellor and minister of state, she was in a position to make big procurement decisions.

If she doesn’t bring much to the ticket, she definitely takes nothing away from it, the way a scandal-ridden candidate would have done,” he argued.

Last Monday, Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was named as the NDC’s running mate, the first female for a major political party.

Her nomination, though widely praised, has attracted criticism from the governing party that says that she brings nothing significant to the NDC and that some other candidate could have been a better choice.