Mahama Promises To Scrap Ex Gratia Payments To Article 71 Officeholders If Elected As President

• John Dramani Mahama has made a promise to stop the payments of ex gratia to Article 71 officeholders
• Speaking at the official launch of his presidential bid on Thursday, March 2, 2023, he said he will begin the process to scrap ex gratia in 2025 if he wins the 2024 presidential polls
• His bold promise has stirred some debate on social media because while some believe it is a worthy promise, others doubt his ability to deliver on the promise that demands a major constitutional amendment

Former president John Dramanai Mahama has said if given the nod to return to the seat of Ghana's presidency again, he will stop the widely-criticised ex gratia payments to some categories of public office holders.

Ex gratia is paid to public officials appointed under Article 71 of the Constitution every four years after a government serves its full term. For members of the Executive arm of government, payments every four years are in the range of 366,340 to 659,392.

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These huge payments are paid to these public officers aside from their emoluments and other benefits while they were in office.

The issue of ex gratia payments came to the fore in June 2022 when a former member of the Council of State returned a huge sum of money paid to him as ex gratia. Many analysts felt the payments were an unnecessary burden on the country's coffers.

Speaking at a well-organised event to mark the official launch of his presidential bid on Thursday, March 2, 2023, John Mahama said after deep consideration, he has resolved that the scrapping of the controversial state policy would be one of his key agenda if he gets the nod to become president in 2024.

"The necessary Constitutional steps to take this will start in earnest in 2025. We will also persuade members of the other arms of government to accept its removal," he said.

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He said under the current administration, the country has been brought to its knees and it is currently battling a severe crisis and loss of hope and patriotic spirit among Ghanaians.

"There is so much to fix and so much to repair. There is so much to heal," portions of his conciliatory speech at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in the Volta Region acknowledged.

Social media reacts to Mahama's bold promise to scrap ex gratia

Francis Abban, tweeting @francis_abban said:

"This is an interesting promise to actualize. The political will and consensus needed is sizeable."

@billchris720 mocked the NPP over the bold promise by the former president:

But not everyone seems to believe the former president. @Sambryanbuabeng tweeted the following:

"SCAM ALERT‼️ Dishonest @JDMahama should first return all the ex gratia he has received from his days as MP for Bole Bamboi, Veep and the President as well as the over ₵40k monthly salary as a former President, then we will take him serious. Ghanaians are wide awake!"

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Togbe Afede praised for returning ex gratia

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported in a separate story that the Paramount Chief of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, explained why he turned down more than GH¢365,000 paid to him by the Council of State as ex gratia.

He clarified that he refunded the cash to state coffers because he felt it was unnecessary and inappropriate.

His clarification, which was contained in a statement, got many Ghanaians talking with many commending his integrity.

Source: YEN.com.gh