Mahama is whining and telling lies about his emoluments – Koku Anyidoho

A former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho believes former President John Dramani Mahama is peddling falsehood over claims that he pays for his own services despite being entitled to the emoluments.

Mr Mahama has revealed that he pays for things like water, electricity, rent, fuel, medical care, and plane tickets himself.

“I receive only my monthly pension like [former] President Kufuor, and [late former] President Rawlings was receiving [it] before he died. That is all I get,” he said in an interview with TV3’s Alfred Ocansey on Tuesday September 13.

He added “I pay the electricity bill for my house and my office, I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the State does not pay me anything for accommodation.

“They haven’t given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay my own fuel, the State doesn’t give me fuel, I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills, I pay my own air tickets when I travel…”.

But in series of tweets responding to him, Mr Anyidoho said “John Dramani Mahama is whining & telling lies about his emoluments. Per documents, State pays when an ex President travels abroad for official assignments – also entitled to 2 holidays in a year.

“So, if you travel on your own account to have fun, why should the State pay?

“As John Dramani Mahama continues to whine about his emoluments, I ask: John Dramani Mahama, what did you do for the late President Atta-Mills?

“The man who made you, Running Mate & Vice President – for you to become President.”

Meanwhile, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi has accused communicators of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration of misleading Ghanaians on the emoluments and privileges of Mr Mahama.

He described this as shameful.

The NPP’s Director of Communications Mr Richard Ahiagba while addressing a press conference in Accra on Wednesday September 14 said “The former President has told blatant lies. We have assembled relevant documents that prove that the former President lied and that, contrary to his claims, he has been indeed been enjoying privileges due him.”

“We did not want to share these private documents with the public, but they are already out there, so we will share them.”

He added “the conduct of former President Mahama threaten our democracy, peace and security. So, the question is, what does former President Mahama wants to achieve with these needless falsehoods? Could it be so that he can pretend to champion the clamour for the repeal of Article 71? Evidence of this rather unholy politics of former President Mahama abound.

“Former President Mahama’s denial that he is actively accessing his emolument benefits simply exploits the sympathies of unsuspecting Ghanaians. There is no record anywhere that former President Mahama has been renounced or that the government has denied former President Mahama his emolument or entitlement. These bizarre and downright false claims by the former President speak to a grand electoral strategy driven by desperation and deception.

But in a statement responding to the NPP, Sammy Gyamfi said “Can our friends in the NPP and government stop shifting the goal post and tell the nation whether these statements made by H.E John Mahama are true or false? Given the fact that the emoluments and privileges of former Presidents are matters of public record, can government rebut any of these statements with evidence?

READ ALSO:Kwabena Agyapong resigns as NPP Gen Sec?

“When is government releasing official documents that confirm the payment of ex gratia of GHS14 million and GHS15 million to former President Mahama, as alleged by the irresponsible Bono regional chairman of the ruling NPP?

“The point has to be made, that at no point in the said TV3 interview did former President Mahama say that he pays the salaries of his own office staff. Therefore, the official documents on payment of salaries of office staff of former President Mahama by the State as required by law, being circulated on social media by some NPP communicators are complete red herrings being introduced into the discussion just to obfuscate the issues and confuse Ghanaians.”

source:3news