John Dramani Mahama has guaranteed Ghanaians that the incoming NDC administration would address ex-gratia concerns.
According to him, Ghana’s 1992 Constitution must be modified to address the rights of Article 71 officers.
The 2020 NDC candidate says Akufo-Addo has derailed democratic progress in Ghana.
In a meeting with NDC lawyers, the former president promised to continue reviewing the constitution if the NDC wins in 2024.
“The future NDC administration must execute President John Evans Atta Mills’s 1992 Constitution revision.
This review should modernize the judiciary and address ex-gratia payments and Article 71 emoluments, Mahama said.
In recent years, there have been debates concerning the number of ex gratia recipients and whether the payments are necessary.
After Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, a former Council of State member, restored ex gratia money, many questioned if public office holders deserved the money.
Togbe Afede XIV, a member of President Akufo-Council Addo’s of State from 2017 to 2020, said he returned the money not because he didn’t need it. I needed money then to pay family commitments.
I thought the money was undeserved. It was unsuitable for part-time employment.”
Elikplim L. Agbemava, a Ghanaian lawyer, asked the Supreme Court in 2017 on Article 71 officeholders’ perks.
He wanted presidential workers to lose their salary, allowances, and perks, saying it was “inconsistent with Article 71 and unconstitutional.”