The supposed crowning of President Nana Akufo-Addo by Forbes Africa Magazine as the African of the year was reportedly choreographed by members of the president’s family, according to information picked up by Whatsup News.
It has emerged that Forbes, the US-based magazine globally respected for its wealth ratings, does not know, let alone be the source of the supposed award given to Akufo-Addo by a so-called Forbes Africa.
Rather, the award had been packaged by a relative of the President domiciled in South Africa called Martin Asare-Amankwa.
Asare-Amankwa who edits Forbes Africa, a South African magazine, is an Akyem kin of the President and reportedly a paternal cousin of Gabby Otchere Darko- the notorious cousin to the President widely regarded as the de facto “Prime Minister” of the NPP government.
And so it came to pass that Martin Asare-Amankwa, a relative of the President editing Forbes Africa decided, in the name of his magazine, to garland his own kinsman with an award as the African of the year.
Matters became clear when the US-based Forbes Magazine, owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family, denied knowledge of any such award when it was contacted.
According to Forbes, it does not also know anything about Akufo-Addo being named the African of whatever year.
The magazine is said to have since been banging its phone on people who call and enquire about the award to Akufo-Addo.
A social media commentator with a media background, Chris Gyamfi Boateng claims he had called Forbes USA on their telephone line 1-800-295-0893 and they denied knowledge of any such award to the Ghanaian President.
“I also called Forbes USA on 1-800-295-0893; they have no knowledge of an award for any African leader,” Mr. Boateng wrote.
The revelations would come as a grand epiphany for many who have been who had been stunned by the awards amidst the violence, corruption and extreme public debt that the Akufo Addo administration had saddled Ghana with.
In 2018, Tour de guet” (Watchtower) an Anti-Corruption group released a report in which Akufo-Addo was named as one of the ten most corrupt leaders in Africa.
In Ghana he is widely regarded as a shadow of the democrat he projected himself to be while in opposition. Unfolding events during his tenure has raised worries that he may have destroyed one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.
Meanwhile, the familial connection between Gabby Asare Otchere Darko and Asare-Amankwa is reminiscent of a controversy in 2008 when Gabby Otchere Darko reportedly bribed pollster, Ben Ephson to skew election polls in favor of Akufo-Addo.
Later, Ben Ephson would reveal that Gabby offered him US$20,000 to lie that Akufo-Addo would win the 2008 elections but he refused.
Source: whatsupnewsghana