National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama says President Akufo-Addo’s decision to ask the Auditor General to go on leave threatens the independence of the Auditor General’s office as well as other independent offices of the state.

According to him, “If the president can ask the Auditor General to go on leave, it means he can ask the Chief Justice to go on leave, he can ask the Electoral Commissioner to go on leave, he can ask the CHRAJ Director to go on leave, but these are supposed to be independent institutions.”

Speaking in an interview from Kete Krachi broadcast on Facebook, the former president said the President’s actions does not only bastardise the office of the Auditor General, but tampers with the country’s democracy as a whole.

He said, “Look, the Auditor General, when you go on leave who changes your door locks? It means that there is no intention that you’re coming back and apart from that what is the…the Auditor General’s office is supposed to be an independent office.”

He also accused the President of abusing his power over the military.

“No President in the fourth republic has misused the military the way this president has misused the military,” he stated.