“Former president Mahama loves Article 71 because he preserved it for himself when he got the golden opportunity to repeal it,” the governing New Patriotic Party has said.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, 14 September 2022 the director of communications of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah said the former president’s contention on the amendment of Article 71 is a sham as it benefits him to a great extent.
“Mahama became president in 2012, barely a year after the acceptance of the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission. All President Mahama needed to do was to present a draft bill to Parliament, per Article 290 (2), to trigger the amendment process. But as the talk master general, former president Mahama did not act on the white paper,” Ahiagbah stated.
The former President, while speaking at a meeting with NDC lawyers, reiterated that the review process of the constitution which began under late President Atta-Mills will continue saying issues concerning the payment of ex-gratia is on the radar, should the NDC win power in 2024.
“The next NDC government must commit to the implementation of the review of the 1992 Constitution, which was begun by President John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory.
“This review should among others aim at reforming the judiciary and tackle head-on issues on ex-gratia payments and other matters of Article 71 emoluments,” Mahama stated.
But the NPP maintained that Mr. Mahama ignored the CRC white paper to create and rather benefited from the emolument committees.
“Mahama is the first living and serving president who added his spouse to the under-table payments, which used to be for widows of former Presidents only. How insincere and confused can a former President be if not for political mischief? he questioned.
