Former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, has emphasised the powers reposed in the presidency of Ghana by the 1992 Constitution.
Mr Kufuor made these comments during an interview where he discussed the structure of Ghana’s governance structure.
The remarks come in the wake of comments made by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the current Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Dr Bawumia recently urged Ghanaians to vote for him in the upcoming election, promising that, with the mandate of the presidency, he would be able to implement policies that would drive the country’s development.
His plea to be voted as president is because, according to him, as Vice President, he could only offer advice, thus lacked the authority to act.
Kufuor’s statement is based on the notion that, in Ghana’s political system, the President holds the ultimate executive authority.
He stressed that while Bawumia may have had good intentions and ideas, his capacity to effect change is limited by his position as Vice President.
“I have been President before; In Ghana, the government is the President. That is how I see it. Ours is an executive presidency. All other persons in government are only advisors including the Vice President. If you advise someone and he does not take it, what do you do?” he quizzed on November 13 on Asempa FM.
Ex President Kufuor stressed that true power lies with the office of the President, and it is only through securing that position that one can introduce reforms to improve the nation’s fortunes.
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