According to the NPP, the former president had the opportunity to review the emoluments of Article 71 officer holders by simply completing the Constitution Review started by the late President John Evans Atta Mills but he refused to do it during his tenure as president.
The Director of Communication of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, who made these remarks at a press conference in Accra, September 14, added that the former president loves ex-gratia so much that he added his wife to the beneficiaries.
‘So, from all indications, former President Mahama loves Article 71 provisions because he preserved it for himself when he got the golden opportunity to repeal it.
"In other words, what former President Mahama is saying today cannot be taken seriously because he has already failed Ghanaians on this matter.
“Indeed, former President Mahama is the first living and serving President who added his spouse to the under-table payments, which used to be for widows of former Presidents only.
"How insincere and confused can a former President be if not for political mischief?” he questioned.
He added that if the former president is serious about his promise he should give back all the ex-gratia he has received.
“However, if former President Mahama wants to be taken seriously, he should go ahead and repudiate all the Article 71 benefits he has gladly enjoyed from 2013 to date. But trust me, former President Mahama will not renounce these benefits because he enjoys them,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the former President, while speaking at a meeting with NDC lawyers, assured that if the NDC is given the nod in 2024, the review process of the constitution which commenced during the period of late President Atta-Mills will continue and will deal with issues concerning the payment of ex-gratia.
“The next NDC government must commit to the implementation of the review of the 1992 Constitution, which was begun by President John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory.
"This review should among others aim at reforming the judiciary and tackle head-on issues on ex-gratia payments and other matters of Article 71 emoluments,” Mahama stated.
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