Acting General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has vowed to stage a ‘one-man demo’ against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo if he allows former President John Dramani Mahama to keep his Cantonments official residence as part of his retirement package.
According to him, the President “must not allow” any such move whatsoever, since the NDC-led government denied Ex-President Kufour similar benefits.
In an interview on NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’, he said he will speak against the move if Nana Addo’s led government accept Mahama’s request.
Former President John Dramani Manama is reported to have requested to be allowed to retain his official bungalow he occupied as Vice President and later President as his ex gratia.
A member of the NDC’s Transition Team, Hannah Tetteh reportedly told the media yesterday that Parliament has already given the ‘all-clear’ signal to the former President to owe the residential facility as part of his end of service benefit – but Kojo Oppong Nkrumah who speaks for the new government’s side of the transition team and also MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi, stressed there was a request from President John Mahama, asking permission to keep the residence but a decision had not been reached.
A December 19, 2016 letter signed by the former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah said John Mahama would like the incoming administration to give him the “No 3, Prestige Link, Cantonment together with the adjoining facilities as his official retirement home.”
This request has made many critics angry some of whom have cited the law and previous national events as their defence.
The Presidential Transition (Amendment) Act 2016 states the outgoing President is required to vacate his official bungalow one month before swearing-in of the new President. If he fails to do so, the Administrator General is empowered to forcefully evict him.
Two days after the swearing-in the ex-president is yet to vacate the premises only for the December 19 letter to be made public.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah disclosed that, “in the shortest possible time”, the new government will take a decision on the request made by former President Mahama.
But even before the dust could settle on that brouhaha, Founder and former President of the African University College of Education, Kojo Yankah has called on the Akufo-Addo-led administration not to endorse the action saying “The precedence is dangerous and should not be allowed to stand.”
However, John Boadu fear the request if granted could inflame passions among the electorates who secured victory for the party in the December 7 polls.
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