The Director of Elections for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has said ex-president John Dramani Mahama was “generous” to Ghanaians for requesting to keep his official bungalow when he ended his term as president.
According to Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, the government exhibited bad faith and embarrassed the former president with regards to the house. In his view, such embarrassments were partly why African leaders preferred to hang on to power even after their terms have ended.
“I thought that the president was even more generous to Ghanaians to say that: ‘This is the small place that I’ve lived all my life, at least for the past eight years or thereabouts, I think that my family and I will be comfortable here.’ He was not asking that the place be given to him as part of his retirement benefit or he wanted to buy as some people wanted to create the impression because it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that we house the president upon [leaving office],” he said on Class FM on Monday January 23.
“I believe that there was exhibition of bad faith on the part of the government and it was very embarrassing and I asked myself that sometimes this is the more reason why some African heads of state, even when their terms expire to leave office, because of some of these humiliation and embarrassments and others, sometimes they feel that ‘let us still find a way of hanging onto power and staying’. But President Mahama didn’t do that and I expected that he ought to have been treated in a more respectable way than the way he was treated.”
According to him, Mr Mahama took the right decision by withdrawing his earlier request to keep the house because the brouhaha that surrounded his request was embarrassing. “It is very embarrassing to us as a country because the way it was reported on social media and the kinds of things that were said, I think he took the right decision by withdrawing that request because I believe that President Mahama, knowing who he is, anywhere that he gets, I think he will be fine.”
It is recalled that Mr Mahama requested to keep his official bungalow during his tenure as president, and earlier as vice president, at No. 3. Prestige Link, Cantonments as his ex-gratia, but following a public backlash in connection with his request, as well as a denial by the new government of there being an agreement between the two administrations for him to keep the house as his home, he wrote to President Nana Akufo-Addo to withdraw his interest.
Source: classfmonline.com
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this attitude will keep you in opposition till they kingdom come
THESE STATE PROPERTIES TO EXPRESIDENTS SHOULD STOP.THEY SHOULD GO AND SEE WHERE THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF URUGUAY JOSE MUJICA LEAVE. HYPOCRITES AND DAY LIGHT ROBBERS.ONLY TIME WILL TELL.
When he was making the last minute appointments, did he tell us he was in power till the midnight of the 6th of January? Why did he write to somebody an ordinary person in December to allow him keep the Veeps residence? He could have allocated it to himself because he told us he has the power to act as President. If you are talking about the Government acting in bad faith, which Government are you talking of. The person who the letter was addressed to had no power to do anything because he has not been sworn in. What happened to ex President Kuffuor? If you had a place to stay, you should have moved in and then demand for what is due you.Ex President Mahama did not try at all what the request he put in.
Bro Sammy fotooo. I dont blame you. You are now a millionaire. You stole so much much money at Local govt ministry with Afriyie Ankrah another ***barred word***.How can you see nothing wrong this this? Time will tell.
Too many fo-ols in the NDC, why?
stuuuuuu
These guys should give us a break. Mahama did no help us as a president. He was selfish and ***barred word*** about the welfare of Ghanaians and voted out as one-term president. Leave us alone
Excuse me to say, this is ***barred word*** talk. It is our greediness that's why we want to hang on to power. Did Ofosu Ampofo witnessed the Britain and US exit? Did these two heads of states request for accommodation? Did the state provide accommodation for these two leaders? You always go around borrowing and you still want to live a luxury life. You want to be respected, follow the footsteps of Nunoo Mensah and Osafo Marfo. GREEDY PEOPLE
thieeves.after all the ***barred word*** you still want tax payers abode for your selfish persons.God will punish you all.Ofosu ampofo,we know how you started and how rich you are now.i witnesed a funeral of someone close to you and know how money was spent.god is watching us all.The president after four years hasnt got a house of his own?yooo