Communications expert, Dr Eric Opoku, has said President John Mahama is covering up for presidential staffer Stan Dogbe as far as the 59th Independence Day anniversary brochure faux pas is concerned.

In an interview with Class News after President Mahama had, on Monday March 14, said the mistakes were “avoidable” and arose from a “printer’s devil”, Dr Eric Opoku stated that the president is belittling the issue, so as to shield Mr Dogbe and the others, who should be held responsible for the goof.

“If you listen to the president, he is trying to enlarge the blame and shift it entirely away from Stan Dogbe. I think that is quite unfortunate. I don’t see why the president couldn’t be bold and say that: ‘This person did this, this person did that, and I am getting them out of my office,’” he stated.

According to him, “The president is actually interested in protecting those, who are close to him. I think the president should have been more decisive. For him not to do that and for him to minimise the blame and say that it was the printer’s devil…I think that the president is belittling the issue. I don’t think he is really interested in doing anything about it.

“The people, who are directly responsible, he is not ready to touch them, so, he is covering up with a very light communication, as if this is just a slip…and I don’t think it’s fair enough.”

But, in a swift response, presidential staffer Dr Clement Apaak justified the president’s position and questioned why the president will cover up for anybody.

“Why will the president, who has the full power of the state behind him, the commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, the man, who can appoint and ‘disappoint’ at any time, want to cover up for anybody?” he asked.

“…There are administrative processes and procedures and it is very important that the right thing is done. To rush to punish people when you have not been abreast of the full facts, certainly, is against the natural law of justice and it’s against the rule of law.

“The president says: ‘Allow the Chief of Staff to look at this issue and then recommend to me what has gone wrong and who is culpable before I take any immediate action.’ I think we must respect the president for that and I think my colleague certainly jumped the gun.”