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Opinions of Thursday, 2 May 2024

Columnist: Awudu Razak Jehoney

Ghanaians have never been disrespected like this by a president: Akufo-Addo why?

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Leadership is the art of getting followers to do something you want done because they want to do it. False leaders destroy people's and team's performances by attempting to control them. Desperate and narcissistic leaders ask to be respected, while real and genuine leaders earn respect.

Leaders with toxic behaviours show signs of arrogance and narcissism, says Simon Sinek.

He came pretending to be humble and pleaded with Ghanaians to “try me too”,
pretended to be down to earth, changed his colours like a chameleon, and
was as submissive as a slave’s child, jumping from one “tro tro” commercial
vehicles to another, sipping Kalyppo drink to belong to the ordinary Ghanaian’s
level. Ghanaians were eventually convinced of his “humility” and gave him
power, it was the greatest mistake ever. After achieving his goal, he is now
ordering the chiefs of the people to stand on their knees before greeting him.

This is none other than President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the president of the Republic of Ghana. Ever since ascending to the high office of the land, President Akufo-Addo has shown gross disrespect to the people of Ghana, which we have never experienced under any other president in this country. When Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe said, “Ghanaians will learn a bitter lesson of leadership if he wins,” we didn’t expect the lesson to be this bitter.

Kofi Koomson, the owner of pro-NPP newspaper The Chronicle, also said, “No
no, no; it’s not safe... I cannot sleep with my eyes closed with Akufo-Addo as
president”.

They both said it out of experience due to their proximity with Nana Akufo-
Addo, but Ghanaians did not pay heed to these warnings, and here we are facing
the brunt of his arrogance and chicanery that transcends beyond ordinary
citizens to chiefs.

The recent behaviour of President Akufo-Addo is appalling and unfortunate. The president has been captured ordering chiefs in the Oti Region and the Overlord of Gonja, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale, to stand up before greeting him.

He is on record to have thrown a lot of tantrums to the citizenry for demanding
their share of the national cake. He has disrespected several chiefs and has
never apologized, despite the public backlashes that follows each of his
outbursts.

Why would a democratically elected president order chiefs to stand up before greeting him in order to show that they respect him? Respect is earned, not demanded. Even military rulers have shown respect to our chiefs throughout history.

The explanations and justifications provided by the Ministry of Chieftaincy are
absurd and unfortunate. Assuming without admitting the irrational explanation, how come the president does not order the Okyenhene and the Asantehene to stand up before greeting him?

The truth is that President Akufo-Addo does not respect Ghanaians; he has a
sense of entitlement to the presidency, and he is inherently arrogant. After
two failed attempts at the presidency, he cleverly masqueraded as a humble
person to deceive us, that strategy worked to perfection, and now he is showing
Ghanaians his true character.

Folks, do not be deceived that President Akufo-Addo will be exiting the
presidency and we will be free from this arrogance and disrespectful posture.

The only solution is to vote against the NPP in December 2024, because a vote for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will be another term for Akufo-Addo. Bawumia will be controlled and pushed around like a puppet, and the arrogance will continue.