I’m not a lame duck, I’m still president till 2025 – Akufo-Addo tells Bagbin

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has refuted claims suggesting that he has assumed a powerless position following the selection of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate for the 2024 election.

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, claimed that the President was experiencing a decline in support from influential figures within the NPP, including Members of Parliament, following the vice president’s selection as the party’s flagbearer. However, during a meeting with chiefs and residents of Nima in Accra, Nana Akufo-Addo countered this assertion, affirming his continued authority over the nation until January 7, 2025.

Akufo-Addo’s statement aimed to dispel concerns about a perceived loss of control within the party, emphasizing that despite internal shifts, he remained firmly in charge until the specified date. The contrasting views between Bagbin and Akufo-Addo underscored the internal dynamics and potential tensions within the NPP concerning leadership and allegiance.

“Speaker Bagbin says I am a lame duck. Well, that is his language. I am still the president of the republic and I will continue to do so until January 7, 2025. And I have no doubt that the power to make decisions and to carry out policies is still firmly in my hands, and I am not going to let it go. So I don’t know what he is talking about when he says I am a lame-duck president. I am not a lame-duck president,” President Akufo-Addo insisted.