Award-winning investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has refuted media reports claiming that Ibrahim Mahama, CEO of Engineers and Planners, issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding the removal of certain pages from Awuni's recent book.

The book, The President Ghana Never Got, has ignited debate over its portrayal of the 2013 sale of Merchant Bank, now Universal Merchant Bank (UMB), and Ibrahim Mahama's alleged role in the transaction.

In his book, Azure detailed the sale of Merchant Bank to the private equity firm Fortiz, describing the process as controversial.

He highlighted that while FirstRand Bank of South Africa had offered GH₵176 million for a 75% stake, Fortiz secured 90% of the bank for only GH₵90 million. Azure also pointed out that the bank's financial difficulties were partly due to significant debts owed by Engineers and Planners, the company owned by Ibrahim Mahama, who is also the brother of former President John Dramani Mahama.

Following the publication, media reports surfaced alleging that Ibrahim Mahama’s lawyers demanded a retraction and apology from Azure, insisting that the claims made in the book were false.

However, in a social media post, Manasseh Azure clarified the situation: “I have received calls about the news that Ibrahim Mahama has given me seven days to delete pages 89 and 90 of my books because the information is inaccurate. That is not accurate. Mr. Ibrahim Mahama's lawyers have written to me concerning a paragraph of the book in the chapter on the economy. That paragraph says Ibrahim Mahama was indebted to Merchant Bank when it was sold in 2013.

“His lawyers say it was a company owned by Ibrahim Mahama, Engineers and Planners, which owed the bank, not Ibrahim Mahama. I have forwarded their demands to my lawyers, and the matter will be addressed soon.”