The National organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams has accused the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of betraying former President, John Mahama by creating brouhaha over his request for a retirement home.
Kofi Adams said the NPP government had agreed to allow Mahama keep the Cantonments residence but then publicly denied it.
Speaking on Mr Adams said both sides of the transition team, led jointly by John Mahama and Nana Akufo-Addo agreed in the presence of some witnesses for Mahama to keep the government bungalow as his retirement home.
He explained that the President was asked to formally write to request for the property as was done in a December 16th letter signed by former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah on behalf of the President, but the NPP betrayed the former President by suggesting he wrote the letter of his own accord.
“According to what we are being told now, it means the outgoing government do not have the mandate to determine where to settle a former President, but constitutionally we are to settle a former President,” Kofi Adams said.
“It wasn’t as if President Mahama just wanted it. It was an agreement not just between the two of them, there were witnesses and so it tells you the bad fate that we are have been talking about… If this is the way we are going to run Ghana, then Ghana is in trouble,” he added.
Former President John Mahama has withdrawn his request to keep his official residence as his retirement home.
The President in a letter addressed to the new government on Tuesday, said, he found it important to move out of the building to avoid marring the spirit of cooperation between the two sides of the transition teams.
President Mahama’s request to keep the bungalow, contrary to the approved recommendations set by the Prof. Dora Francisca Edu- Buandoh committee on Emoluments and Conditions of Service for Article 71 office holders, has created a public uproar, with many Ghanaians accusing the President of blatantly trying to acquire more than what has been approved for him by the state.
The President in a subsequent statement, said his decision to maintain the state residence he occupied while in office, was approved by the new government led by Nana Akufo-Addo as well as Parliament.
But President Nana Akufo-Addo’s side of the transition team in a rebuttal, said the government is yet to approve former President Mahama’s request to keep his the property, contrary to Mr. Mahama’s statement.
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