The Tamale Central Member of Parliament (MP), Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, says Ghanaians should be circumspect in their expectations of President Akufo-Addo to deliver a better economy.

This according to him is because Mr Akufo-Addo, even when he served as a Minister under the erstwhile Kufuor administration, failed to effectively manage the sectors that were assigned him.

Although he admitted that it is difficult to manage government affairs, Murtala Mohammed argued that the Akufo-Addo-led administration should have performed better, considering the campaign promises it made.

In an interview on Prime Morning, Friday, the MP claimed the President has poor leadership record, which he said is manifest in the current handling of the economic hardships and the difficulties in the country.

“It was particularly instructive that you had someone who had been in government before. He was a Minister under President Kufuor’s administration and we ought to know that even at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, two ministries he served; he performed abysmally and the evidences are there.

“It’s very clear that as a Minister for Justice, we saw what happened when there were a lot of disastrous cases; cases that bother on his professionalism. He ought to have known that managing even a Ministry was difficult. His record, the verdict at the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General was a disaster and everybody knows that he lost several cases he even supervised,” Murtala Mohammed told Jay Foley.

According to him, "some of us knew that he won’t perform because I had dealt with him as the Secretary-General of the All African Students Union when he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I’ve had several encounters with him. It is not about speaking English in a funny way; it is about delivering and it is very clear [that] we are in a disaster."

He contended that President Akufo-Addo may have won the favour and interest of Ghanaians to lead the country due to his public speaking skills and juicy promises.

He stated that several policies embarked on by the ruling party have been messed up as there is nothing to show to the citizenry.

“The sad aspect of it is that in this country, when you speak English in a funny way, people tend to listen to you. When you try to slang, people tend to listen to you…those things matter.

“I have been a student leader; if you observed elections in various campuses, many people tend to vote for those who speak very well. Either they try to desperately manage a slang or those who look cute,” he added.

Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed urged politicians to be mindful of the things they say during their campaigns because they would be held responsible for them.

Meanwhile, the government is expected to hold a crunch cabinet meeting to find solutions to the raging economic challenges.

The meeting is expected to take place at the Peduase Lodge, from Thursday, March 17, to Sunday, March 20, 2022.

The deliberations will be chaired by President Akufo-Addo, together with all NPP MPs, ministers, government appointees, and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership.

According to JoyNews’ sources, the meeting will discuss whether government should continue to push through with the E-levy Bill or resort to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in the face of the current fiscal hurdles.