All former presidential spouses should pay back their allowances - NPP's Abronye
- New Patriotic Party's Abronye says former First and Second Spouses should all return allowances paid to them
- In an interview with Starr FM, he stated that the payments are not right because it is not backed by law
- YEN.com.gh previously reported that he had sued the government for payments for Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Samira Bawumia
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Kwame Baffoe Abronye, the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has suggested that presidential spouses over the years should pay back allowances given to them.
He made the statement during a Starr 103.5 FM interview following news that the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, decided to refund the money paid to them from 2017.
Source: Facebook
In press statements dated Monday, July 12 and July 13, 2021, Rebecca and Samira stated that they decided to reject their salaries in consultation with their husbands, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, respectively.
Abronye reckons that the presidential spouses should not receive any money because they are not article 71 officeholders. YEN.com.gh previously reported that he had sued the government over the case.
"I'm trying to amend my action at the supreme court that all emoluments given to the first and second ladies should be declared null and void and be returned," said Abronye to Lantam Papanko on Morning Starr.
"if there's a legal backing, that's fine, but there's no legal backing. I still think they should refund the monies because they are not public office holders, so there was no need for the state to pay them."
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Background
On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, YEN.com.gh reported the decision of the government to adopt the recommendation of an emolument committee to ensure that the spouses of the President and Vice President are paid for their roles monthly.
There have been various reactions, with many pushing against the idea.
The likes of former President John Dramani Mahama, and Kwame Baffoe Abronye, the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have labelled the idea unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency has clapped back at the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo over her rejection of salaries and allowances paid to her.
According to him, the rejection is just a ploy for her to look good in the eyes of the public.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
