Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi
President Akufo-Addo did not only lifted quotes of former American presidents, but also plagiarized speeches of former Ugandan president Idi Amin Dada, according to the Minority in Parliament.
Speaking on GHone Television on Monday, Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi, said his group has identified quotes by the former Ugandan president that were repeated in the president’s inaugural speech without attribution.
He said he was alarmed that writers of the speech only “copied” statements of past leaders and handed it over to the president without the necessary checks.
“I’m seriously surprised that the communications team of the president intended to copy people’s work and handed them to the president disregarding the consequences of that.
“Not only did President Akufo-Addo copied quotes by the two American presidents, he also lifted speeches of Idi Amin. I am baffled that a whole government machinery could allow that to happen. It was a shoddy work indeed,” the deputy minority leader stressed, eventhough he fell short in quoting the passage the president lifted words of Idi Amin.
It was in this direction that Mr Kluste Avedzi insisted the documents “is depressing and must therefore be withdrawn” from the parliamentary hansard.
According to him, the plagiarism scandal which has now assumed international dimensions with major global news networks has clearly tarnished the image of Ghana abroad hence the need for the documents to be withdrawn immediately.
Moments after the president’s swearing in ceremony in Accra, news went viral that there were striking similarities between Akufo-Addo's speech and those delivered by two former United States Presidents.
Portions of Nana Akufo-Addo’s speech were the exact words of ex-Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton.
The quote, “I ask you to be citizens, not spectators...,” which was uttered by Nana Akufo-Addo during his inaugural speech has been attributed to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and later George Bush.
The office of President Akufo-Addo subsequently issued an apology, admitting to lifting words without acknowledgment.