Akufo-Addo doesn’t have the power to decide who he should hand over power to – James Gunu

The Volta Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. James Gunu has reacted to recent comments made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that he will hand over to an NPP candidate.

According to the Mr. Gunu, President Akufo-Addo lacks the constitutional power to decide who succeeds him as President of the country.

“The power to decide who a sitting president hands over power to rest with the Ghanaian electorates and not the sitting president, any individual or group of persons,” he stated in a short interview with InsiderGH.com.

He further stated that “at least under the Fourth Republican constitution, we witnessed it under president Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufour, John Dramani Mahama and we must witness the same under president Nana Addo.”

According to Mr. Gunu, “Section 6, Subsection 4 of the Presidential Transition Act of 2012 (Act 845), requires that President Nana Addo prepares his handing over note to the Administrator General not later than 30 days before the date of the presidential election.

He noted that this must be the last time the president said those words in relation to who succeeds him.

Mr. Gunu’s comments comes after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told party faithful that he will hand over power to a successor from his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) when his tenure expires in January 2025.

The president is reported to have made the comments during the NPP’s final rally ahead of the highly-anticipated by-election in the Kumawu Constituency of the Ashanti Region.

Akufo-Addo is by his comment suggesting that the NPP will win the 2024 election and by that ‘break the 8’ – a terminology that the party has coined as it aims to win a historic third consecutive term in office under the current constitution.

The last time the president spoke about handing over, he expressed the wish to hand over to an NPP successor at a prayer and thanksgiving service at the National Mosque in Accra after the party’s National Leadership elections.