Why Akufo-Addo was surrounded by empty seats at Weah’s investiture

A Senegalese-based reporter with AFP, Jennifer O’Mahony has taken to Twitter to hail Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for being punctual during yesterday’s investiture of former football star, George Oppong Weah as Liberian President.

An image of President Akufo-Addo surrounded by empty seats have been circulating on various social media platforms.

Elements within the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have tried making political gain out of it by drawing linkage to the controversial ‘cash for seat’

But the journalist who reported for her media house from Monrovia, conflicted the claims indicating that Akufo-Addo rather arrived at the event earlier than other African leaders and took his seat anticipating the commencement of the historic event.

Meanwhile, the former football star, George Weah was on Monday sworn in as the new president of Liberia taking over from the continent’s first democratically elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf according to an africanfeeds.com report.

This is the first time in over 70 years that Liberia is witnessing the peaceful transfer of power from one government to the other after a peaceful electoral process.

George Weah will now serve as the 25th president of the West African nation as hopes are high for him to transform the country by creating jobs and providing improved social amenities after taking his oath of office.

Thousands of Liberians mostly young people thronged the Samuel Kanyon Doe stadium near the capital, Monrovia for a ceremony which was witnessed by several heads of state from Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Togo.

Weah’s former football colleagues and were also in attendance to support him on his big day.

President Weah beat the former vice president, Joseph Boakai in last year’s elections after failing in two previous attempts to be president.

Weah on Saturday told journalists that “I am a human being, I strive to be excellent, and I can be successful”.

“When I work hard I believe what I believe in and I showed I could persevere,” he added.