President Akufo-Addo with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Accusing fingers are often pointed at Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the country's current economic crisis.
As the Economic Management Team (EMT) head, Bawumia was touted by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as an economic 'wizkid' with the magic wand to solve the country's economic challenges.
However, these skills did not come into play after he assumed the role of head of the EMT.
Even though the vice president, who now leads the NPP as its flagbearer, attempted to absorb himself from the crisis, some sympathisers of the NDC have maintained that he [Dr. Bawumia] is responsible for the economic mess.
While addressing the nation on February 7, 2024, Dr Bawumia used a driver-mate analogy to prove that he cannot be blamed for all the economic mess.
According to him, his role as vice and head of the EMT is more advisory than the implementer of policies.
But these comments from the vice president didn't sit well with many Ghanaians.
After several days of arguments on this matter, Akufo-Addo, in presenting the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on February 27, 2024, cleverly used his rhetorical skills to divert attention from the real issues and problems facing the country.
The president cleverly found a way to dissociate the vice president from issues like high inflation, depreciation of the cedi, rising debt, and low growth in the country.
The president stated that in the constitution of Ghana, the executive power to run a country resides with the president alone.
To him, he [Akufo-Addo] is responsible for everything that goes on in the country, and he takes full responsibility for them.
"Under the Constitution, the executive power of the state is vested in the President of the Republic. He or she is the executive. There is no ambiguity about where the buck stops when it comes to responsibility for what happens in the government. It stops with the president; he or she has ultimate responsibility.
"It would be an unwise president who would pretend to have all the answers and refuse the advice of his officials, but the fact remains that the president holds the executive power," he stated.
The president appeared to have used these words to exonerate the vice president from critics, as many have said.
He said that he appreciates the efforts and contributions of his vice president, who has spearheaded his government's digitalisation agenda, which he said has brought many benefits to the country.
He said that his vice president was also not the cause of the economic challenges that the country was facing and that he took full responsibility for the fall.
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