Would Akufo-Addo Get Four More Years?

If you know how to sell yourself, you'll definitely not be denied where you want to be. But politics has a way of rewarding its actors in the game. The paradox is, when you think you're down it elevates you and when you think you're in a comfortable lead it shows you the exit door.

And that is not all,, politics has even shamed its pundits and pollsters with regard to their election predictions or pollings. Ultimately, the electorate will have to decide the fate of the players.

So would Akufo-Addo get four more years?
It seems the sitting president isnt taking any chances..He's aware that the stakes are high.

His main contender former President John Mahama has vowed to take him down. In his recent visit to Koforidua, the Eastern Region capital, Mr. Akufo-Addo made a disclosure which kind of took many aback..

"By the end of August all those who invested in the collapsed financial institutions will be paid. Already, about 90 percent of those people were paid out of the GHc 21 billion provided by the government, " he told a journalist at a Koforidua-based radio station.

That sounds too good to be true. But my checks revealed it is true. Would that be enough to get him re-elected for the second term and was that done as a way of appeasement?

Obviously, there have to be several other factors.
But this writer thinks Mr. Akufo-Addo is most likely to enjoy the following two:

First, for 24 years in Ghana’s political history, voters had not denied an incumbent a second term until 2016 when then candidate Mr. Akufo-Addo defeated then sitting president John Mahama and made him a one term president. Thus he left the presidency as the second youngest president at age 58.The youngest was former President Jerry John Rawlings at 53.

Two, as an incumbent it is his to lose. Nonetheless, as i said it before there's no underdog in this round two battle. Yes, three years on after his defeat (by one million vote margin) Mr. Mahama is making a historic comeback.

What would Akufo-Addo do during his second term at the Jubilee House?

Already, the president has his plans afoot.
According to the news monitoted by the state news agency Mr. Akufo-Addo said this: "If Ghanaians give me a second term, I will use it to build on the foundation I've built during my first term to industrialise the country."

The President said he had been faithful to Ghanaians and urged the electorate to re-elect him based on his achievements. But he also alluded to one thing that I've time and again said it could influence the December 7 election. I am referring to illegal mining also known as Galamsey. However, he failed to mention corruption, a key factor that i think the Ghanaian voter would consider.

Mr Akufo-Addo acknowledged that illegal mining, plastic waste menace and land guards remained challenging issues to be resolved, adding what was important was to "create conditions for their gradual eradication'.

Measures
According to him the government had already introduced the community mining system which had a lot of the illegal miners. Not only that, government had also initiated alternative livelihood programmes in the mining communities and it was expected that as the economies of those communities improved, many of the people in the illegal mining would be attracted to join other sectors of the economy, he said.

The President gave the assurance that the affordable housing project started in Koforidua during the era of President Kufuor and the Kwahu East District Hospital started by the government of President Mahama would be completed.

He further assured Ghanaians that all those who invested in the collapsed financial institutions would be paid by the end of August this year and said already 98 per cent of those people were paid out of the GH¢21 billion provided by the government.

By Gordon Offin-Amaniampong