A fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare says the directive by President Akufo-Addo to former Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo to go on retirement, is one that taints his legacy even before he ends his second and final term as president.

According to Professor Asare, most of the Civil Society groups in the country are unhappy with the president’s directive because “the action is unconstitutional and unusual.”

He said the President’s directive came as a shock to him because growing up, he saw in the President; then a human right activist, someone who was always going to “defend the rule of law and the constitution”.

But with the events that led to the forceful removal of the former Auditor General, the outspoken Professor said “we feel betrayed”.

The CDD fellow further indicated that the controversies surrounding Mr. Domelevo’s retirement have revealed that President Akufo-Addo is uncomfortable working with institutions that operate independently under the constitution.

“This issue of Mr. Domelevo’s forced retirement may not be related to the removal of the Electoral Commission Chair. It may not be related to the resignation of the Special Prosecutor, but when you put all of that together it paints a mosaic of a President who seems to have difficulty in working with independent constitutional officers unless the constitutional officers were appointed by him,” he said.

The former Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo was in a letter dated, March 3, 2021, asked to proceed on retirement based on an indication by the Audit Service Board that he has exceeded the eligible age to remain in office.