And they wanted to break the eight: What were they thinking?

President Akufo-Addo will go down in history as the worst president ever to occupy the highest office of the land since 1957. This is despite the avalanche of support and goodwill he enjoyed from Ghanaians.

He has overseen the worst economic meltdown in the history of this country, corruption and nepotism as well as impunity were nearly normalized under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been an influential figure in Ghana’s political landscape since the Fourth Republic; he has been a towering figure and a force to reckon with.

He has for a long time harboured the ambition of becoming the president. His family’s political background has had a great impact on his ambition. He presented himself as a person with a deep interest in human rights and a seasoned democrat who believed in freedom of speech and the rule of law.

After eventually ascending to the presidency on his third attempt, he committed an unforgivable sin that has never been perpetrated by any other president in the Fourth Republic. The sins of the president are discussed below for the purposes of posterity and to ensure there is never a repeat of these in this country.

Economic Mismanagement

The Akufo-Addo Bawumia government took over an economy with a national debt stock of GHC122 Billion, an exchange rate of USD1 = GH4, a 7% unemployment rate, a 15% inflation rate and a 56% debt-to-GDP rate. They accused the previous administration of incompetence and insensitivity.

Today, the national debt stock is GHC761 billion, the exchange rate is USD1=GHC16, unemployment is at 15%, inflation is currently at 23% and debt to GDP is 97%. The worst part of it is that the current government has suspended servicing its international debt.

The ordinary Ghanaian is suffering under this administration, the cost of living is high while the standard of living has dwindled over the last eight years, yet they were thinking about breaking the 8. What an insult to the sensibility of Ghanaians.

The Killing of Eight in the 2020 General Elections

During and immediately after the 2020 general elections, a total of eight unarmed innocent Ghanaians were needlessly killed by the security services in cold blood under the leadership of President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the president and vice respectively.

The eight lost their lives tragically, from gunshots, allegedly fired by military personnel who were supposed to protect and defend them. The incident, which occurred four years ago, continues to cast a long shadow over the electoral landscape and continues to be an indelible blot on the president’s image for generations to come. Unfortunately, President Akufo-Addo and his vice have yet to break their silence and address the nation on this painful episode.

Despite the passage of four years, the families of the victims and the Ghanaian public are still grappling with the aftermath of this brutal electoral violence which has never been witnessed in the Fourth Republic. No individual has been held liable for this dastardly and cowardly heinous crime under a president who rose on the rendition of the rule of law, human rights and justice. Does the president and his vice really care about how history will judge them? Your guess is as good as mine.

Shockingly, the NPP Member of Parliament for Bekwai constituency, Joseph Osei Owusu who is also the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, compared the eight victims to armed robbers who deserved their fate. When the MP was asked if families of the deceased deserve condolences from the President he disgracefully responded, “Do we commiserate with the families of armed robbers we shoot?”. The president saw nothing wrong with this unfortunate statement needless to say distanced himself from it.

President-elect John Mahama has consistently expressed his displeasure over the lack of acknowledgement from President Akufo-Addo and his Vice Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia regarding the election massacre.

“On a rather sad note, it is unconscionable that three years after these tragic events, our President, Nana Akufo-Addo, has not uttered even a word of sympathy to the bereaved families. The perpetrators of these murders continue to walk as free men and still hold on to positions of authority and power” he said.

The Massacre of the Zongo Seven

In September 2018, Ghanaians woke up to a horrendous spectacle when seven innocent young men were gunned down by the Ashanti Regional police in Manso-Nkwanta in the Ashanti region. The Ashanti Regional Police Command claimed the deceased persons opened fire on them and they returned fire. The families of the deceased persons had disputed the claims that their relatives were armed robbers.

The youth in the Kumasi Zongo community stood up for their rights and challenged the Ashanti Regional Police command, they attacked the Manhyia hospital nearly torched a police station in Kumasi and pelted the policemen with stones, this led to soaring tension and the police were compelled to fire tear gas and water cannon to disperse them.

Even though these acts of violence are unacceptable, they led to the establishment of an independent committee to investigate the matter. The committee declared that the deceased persons were not armed robbers and further recommended the immediate prosecution of the officers involved. Up until now, the 21 officers who were implicated by the committee for the unlawful killing of these innocent young men have yet to face justice.

These sins committed by President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia are unforgettable and unforgivable; they will continue to define this regime for generations to come. The tyranny, oppression and subjugation that Ghanaians have witnessed in the past eight years should not be swept under the carpet.

It will not be far-fetched to crave the indulgence of former president John Dramani Mahama, now president-elect to constitute a National Reconciliation Committee in order to cleanse this country of the sins of . President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as soon as he is sworn in.

It was shocking that this wicked, heartless, irresponsible, incompetent and insensitive government actually wanted to “break the eight” a feat that has not been able to be achieved by even competent and sensitive governments in the past. What were these people thinking, what did they take Ghanaians for?