President Nana Akufo-Addo has said that being in government should not be an advantage heading into an election.

According to him, it is only individuals with the intent to manipulate the system that think incumbency is an advantage, otherwise a democracy should be open, fair and just.

Speaking to journalists at the Flagstaff House on Wednesday, 17 January, as part of his second encounter with the media, the president said: “I don’t have any difficulty facing the Ghanaian people. I’ve been trying to do so all my life with varying degrees of success but I don’t have any difficulty and especially the opportunity that has been given to me to serve them in this capacity”.

He continued: “If at the end of the day the NPP decides they want to renew my flagbearership and to go to the country [to tour], I will do so and I will do so with a great deal of confidence that I have something correct to report to our people, which should elicit their support but I don’t think that incumbency should be an advantage”.

For him, it is only people who do not support democratic development who believe that incumbency should be an advantage.