By Abiola Olawale
Deputy Minority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has criticized President Nana Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) while standing on the floor of Parliament.
His powerful words echoed through the chamber as he expressed his discontent with the President’s message, highlighting the issues he felt were inadequately addressed in the speech.
Dwelling on the President’s final SONA on January 3, 2025, Buah described the President’s tenure as a “timely reminder of how not to govern a country.”
According to Buah, issues like economic hardship, huge debt, high youth unemployment, and a general sense of hopelessness among the populace were the highlight of Akufo-Addo’s government.
He declared that Ghanaians had already given their verdict on the state of the nation through their overwhelming rejection of the government in the previous election, which he referred to as one of the “most emphatic votes against any government in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.”
Buah also described the outgoing administration’s performance as “ineffective and out of touch with the needs of the people,” emphasizing that Ghana had come to “the end of the road” under what he called “the worst government in the Fourth Republic.”
Buah also criticized the President of Ghana for omitting the National Cathedral project in his address, a project which has faced significant public scrutiny over its cost and progress.
He accused Akufo-Addo of reckless borrowing and mismanagement of state funds, pointing out that the President was cautioned by the IMF both at the beginning and the end of his term.
The New Diplomat reports that this comes after the conclusion of the 2024 presidential election in Ghana which was held on December 7, 2024.
John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was declared the winner, securing 56.55% of the total valid votes, defeating his closest rival, Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who received 41.61%.
Mahama’s victory marks a significant political comeback as he had previously served as president from 2012 to 2017.
The victory also means he defeated the ruling party in the country.
