Why Akufo Addo can’t be removed from office by impeachment

Many believe the Ghanaian president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, should be impeached as a result of many things he has done, including broken promises, lying to gain power, having extramarital affairs, abusing his power while in office, arresting his critics, and engaging in corruption.

These actions have caused the economy to collapse and the currency to depreciate, leading to a high rate of unemployment, crime, and extreme hardships, contrary to what he promised when in search of power.

How does impeachment work? It is a process for ejecting a senior official from their position. Even the head of state is subject to impeachment, which is decided by the parliament or another authorized state authority. The practice of impeachment originated in British constitutional history, and in the fourteenth century, parliament used it to bring the King's ministers to trial.

Impeachment, however, has had no legal standing in the United Kingdom since 1848, but in the United States of America, it gained popularity and was incorporated into the constitution in 1787. According to the law, this process could be applied to the president, vice president, or congressmen, as well as senators and members of parliament. High treason, bribery, murder, and other serious crimes are the three grounds for impeachment listed in Article 2 Part 4 of the US Constitution.

In addition to presidents, other officials can be subject to impeachment procedures, including governors and judges of higher courts. Does the impeachment process frequently succeed in ousting high-ranking officials? As far as I'm aware, the Senate in the United States of America more frequently exonerates leaders than it does accuse them, and the Senate has never removed a president who is facing impeachment from office.

For example, the House of Representatives launched an investigation a year before a potential reelection bid in the November 2020 election, and Trump was impeached; however, he was still not removed from power in the end. According to American history, political opponents of the current administration may use the impeachment process for their own ends.

Sharing the story of Balarabe Musa, a Nigeria politician who lost his position after being impeached

When I first heard the phrase "Impeachment," it was in 1981 while I was a driver for the late Chief Ambe Bassey, a Nigerian politician who ran for governor under the banner of the Unity Party of Nigeria. "Driving Chief Awolowo Through The Principal Streets Of Calabar," published on August 4, 2018, is a modern Ghana article reference. During that time, the news of Governor Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa's impeachment in June 1981 spread like wildfire throughout Nigeria.

Nigeria, one of the richest nations in the world at the time, was closely following the American democratic political system. Dr. Joseph Wayas, who presided over the Senate from 1979 to 1983 under Nigeria's Second Republic, was in charge at the time as the Senate President. Between October 1979 and June 1981, Alhaji Balarabe Musa ruled as governor of the former Kaduna State for 20 months before being impeached.

Musa's dismissal from the high office, according to Nigerian newspapers, was caused by political differences between the Executive and the state's opposition-dominated Legislature rather than any fraudulent activity or improper use of funds. For instance, even though Musa was the governor of Kaduna State and was elected on the Peoples Redemption Party platform, he was constantly under criticism since the Kaduna State House of Assembly was populated by members of the National Party of Nigeria.

Alhaji Balarabe Musa might be the first politician from West Africa or Africa to be impeached and removed from office in a nation where the court is overruled by money, a problem that is well-known in Ghana and other parts of Africa. Apart from massive corruption that has set back development in Africa, the weak judiciary system made up of corrupt judges has also played a role in derailing Africa's progress.

Politicians in Ghana who disapprove of the president want to have him removed from office, but this is not going to be possible since the cunning president is a master at playing the game. To protect himself, he appointed 11 High Court judges to the Supreme Court. The abuse of the system by these judges, among them the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, has lasted for so long that it has had disastrous effects, including the breakdown of numerous national infrastructures.

As Akufo Addo's incompetent services are currently no longer valued by the youth and many Ghanaians, yet, there is a need to put pressure on him to be impeached. Since Ghana is a country where corrupt politicians never go to jail, the possibility of a president being removed from office by impeachment is just a fantasy and wishful thinking that can never happen because the entire judicial system is rife with greed and corruption.