The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has insisted that Former President John Dramani Mahama has been enjoying all the privilege’s due him after leaving o
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has insisted that Former President John Dramani Mahama has been enjoying all the privilege’s due him after leaving office.
A statement issued by Deputy Director of Communications of the NPP, Mr Ernest Owusu- Bermpah said available documents indicate that Madam Joyce Bawah Mogtari, a special aide to Mr Mahama, on the 19th December, 2017, received and acknowledged receipt of $66,000 as reimbursement for airfare, when she herself made the request for same on 23rd November, 2017.
Again, Mr Owsusu-Bempah said, the other documentations also shows that not only has the former President received vehicles from the state but also his wife, Mrs. Lordina Mahama was allocated a vehicle as well.
His comments come after the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi accused communicators of the NPP administration of misleading Ghanaians on the emoluments and privileges of former President John Dramani Mahama.
Sammy Gyamfi described this as shameful.
Mr Mahama has revealed that he pays for things like water, electricity, rent, fuel, medical care, and plane tickets himself.
“I receive only my monthly pension like [former] President Kufuor, and [late former] President Rawlings was receiving [it] before he died. That is all I get,” he said in an interview with TV3’s Alfred Ocansey on Tuesday September 13.
He added “I pay the electricity bill for my house and my office, I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the State does not pay me anything for accommodation.
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“They haven’t given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay my own fuel, the State doesn’t give me fuel, I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills, I pay my own air tickets when I travel…”.
But addressing a press conference in Accra on Wednesday September 14, Mr Ahiagba said “
“The former President has told blatant lies. We have assembled relevant documents that prove that the former President lied and that, contrary to his claims, he has been indeed been enjoying privileges due him.”
“We did not want to share these private documents with the public, but they are already out there, so we will share them.”
He added “the conduct of former President Mahama threaten our democracy, peace and security. So, the question is, what does former President Mahama wants to achieve with these needless falsehoods? Could it be so that he can pretend to champion the clamour for the repeal of Article 71? Evidence of this rather unholy politics of former President Mahama abound.
“Former President Mahama’s denial that he is actively accessing his emolument benefits simply exploits the sympathies of unsuspecting Ghanaians. There is no record anywhere that former President Mahama has been renounced or that the government has denied former President Mahama his emolument or entitlement. These bizarre and downright false claims by the former President speak to a grand electoral strategy driven by desperation and deception.
But in a statement responding to the NPP, Sammy Gyamfi said “Can our friends in the NPP and government stop shifting the goal post and tell the nation whether these statements made by H.E John Mahama are true or false? Given the fact that the emoluments and privileges of former Presidents are matters of public record, can government rebut any of these statements with evidence?
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“When is government releasing official documents that confirm the payment of ex gratia of GHS14 million and GHS15 million to former President Mahama, as alleged by the irresponsible Bono regional chairman of the ruling NPP?
“The point has to be made, that at no point in the said TV3 interview did former President Mahama say that he pays the salaries of his own office staff. Therefore, the official documents on payment of salaries of office staff of former President Mahama by the State as required by law, being circulated on social media by some NPP communicators are complete red herrings being introduced into the discussion just to obfuscate the issues and confuse Ghanaians.”
Responding to what Sammy Gyamfi said, Mr Ernest Owusu Bempah said that “As politician who do politics with almost everything under the sun without censure, the ceaseless merry-go-round of cherry-picked evidence by Mahama to denigrate the state is quite embarrassing to say the least.
“Fact is, there’s enough evidence to show that Mahama since his 2016 electoral humiliation has been taken care of by the state.
“Matter of factl, here’s the evidence making nonsense of Mahama’s claims that the state has abandoned its constitutional obligations towards him as former President.
LORDINA MAHAMA (TOYOTA LC, GT 9741-21)
As you can see on the document below, Joyce Bawa, a special aide to former President- John Mahama, on the 19th December, 2017, received and acknowledged receipt of $66,000 as reimbursement for airfare, when she Joyce Bawa herself made the request for same on 23rd November, 2017.
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OFFICE OF HIS EXCELLENCY
Again the other documentations also shows that not only has the former President received vehicles from the state but also Mrs. Lordina Mahama was allocated a vehicle as well.
JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA
John Mahama can’t lie through his teeth and expect to get away with it. Ghanaians can now judge for themselves. It is about time truth and honesty takes centre stage in our public space.”
OFFICE OF HIS EXCELLENCY (1)
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