Former President John Dramani Mahama has enjoyed exgratia payment more than any other president in Ghana, a Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Owusu Bempah has said.
Mr Bempah indicated that as Deputy Minister, a Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament, Vice President and President, Mr Mahama enjoyed exgratia.
At the moment, he said, Mr Mahama’s travel expenses are being catered for by the state. Every two years his Land Cruisers and those of his wife are changed by the state.
To that end, he said, a promise by Mr Mahama to abrogate ex gratia payment if he becomes president smacked of inconsistency.
Speaking exclusively to 3news.com on Friday, March 3, Mr Bempah said “John Mahama is consistently inconsistent and he has no shame to be telling Ghanaians about the exgratia. He is the only President since independence or the only politician since independence who has taken exgratia more than any other body in Ghanaian politics since independence, John Dramani Mahama.
“As Deputy Ministry, Cabinet Minister, MP, to Vice President to President he has taken exgratia more than anyone. As a former president, he is even taking exgratia. He is the first president who increased his ex gratia and that of his wife. He should return all the exgratia that he has taken.
“For the past years, we have changed his Landcruisers, every two years we change it. His travel expenses we pay for.”
A Law lecturer Justice Abdulai has also cautioned Ghanaians to be “measured” in their hope about promises by any politician to scrap ex gratia as entrenched in the 1992 Constitution.
Also a legal practitioner, Mr Abdulai said any president who promises to scrap ex gratia for Article 71 office holders will find the process very cumbersome.
“Scrapping ex gratia will be very difficult,” he said in an interview with Media General‘s Noble Crosby Annan on Thursday, March 2.
This comes in the wake of the promise by former President John Dramani Mahama that he will scrap ex gratia when he gets the nod to lead this country again.
“The payment of ex gratia to members of the executive will be scrapped,” Mr Dramani Mahama announced when he launched his bid to be 2024 Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“The necessary constitutional steps to take this will start in earnest in 2025. We will also persuade members of the other arms of government to accept its removal,” he assured.
But Mr Abdulai, who lectures at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), said the emoluments of persons entitled for ex gratia are not determined by a President but by the constitution.
“This is not a decision that is made by Parliament,” he added.
He said before an amendment is made, the entire constitution may need to be reviewed.
“For all of us who have hope, we should be measured in our hope,” he cautioned.
Mr Abdulai said a referendum will, for instance, need to be conducted to have this changed and so the scrapping will not rest with one president but “the entirety of Ghanaians will have to come together”.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana