Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson has opened up about her regret over taking a photograph with President Akufo-Addo after his administration won the 2016 elections. In her recently released book, titled “I am not Yvonne Nelson,” she candidly expresses her disappointment with the president’s performance.
Nelson recounts visiting President Akufo-Addo, along with some friends, to congratulate him on his electoral victory. However, she now regrets capturing that moment in a photograph. She explains, “It is a photograph I regret taking.” The actress had high hopes for the president, who was initially hailed as a no-nonsense disciplinarian and incorruptible leader capable of tackling corruption and transforming Ghana’s governance.
To her dismay, Nelson criticizes Akufo-Addo’s administration for its unbridled borrowing, corruption, and reckless spending, which she believes led to an economic downturn and power outages, commonly referred to as “dumsor.” As the first term of Akufo-Addo’s presidency came to a close, many Ghanaians began to lose hope, not only in him but also in the country’s politics as a whole.
The disappointment in Akufo-Addo’s performance was evident in the parliamentary elections, where his party nearly lost the majority it held in the first term. The results led to a tie in the parliamentary votes, and the National Patriotic Party (NPP) only secured the majority when an expelled party member, who had run as an independent candidate, won his seat and joined the NPP side in parliament. In a historic outcome, the governing party also lost the Speaker of Parliament election for the first time in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
Expressing her disillusionment, Nelson states, “I certainly do not wish to associate with a politician who is projected as one thing but becomes the polar opposite of that when elected into office.” She highlights the discrepancy between the promises made during the campaign and the actual outcomes. Interestingly, some close associates of the president even approached Nelson, considering her as a potential candidate to join their party and contest a parliamentary seat with their endorsement and support.
The revelations made by Yvonne Nelson in her book shed light on the sentiments of disappointment and frustration among some Ghanaians regarding President Akufo-Addo’s leadership.
Source: GhanaWeb