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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Total nonsensical coming from a greedy politician likes you Ofosu Ampofo. Where on earth does such exist.
Ofosu Ampofo is not a serious person. Now we know your true colours ( loot and share)
BLOCK HEADED OFOSU AMPOFO
I wonder what OFOSU AMPOFO would have taken as his ex-gratia maybe the entire BEGRO land.
Elder Ofosu Ampofo what are you talking about.do you want to tell ghanaians that john mahama dont have a house in accra? ghanaians know mahama has more than ten houses in accra.Cant he use on of this houses? greedy president he want all the properties in ghana how can that be.Was mahama able to house ex- president kuffour? For eight solid years ex- presidenT Kuffour has been staying in his own house let mahama do same.
If all presidents have to keep their bungalows, Where will our kids live when they become president
This is the church elder who preaches to the followers to give tithe. He has no sense of shame. No moral at all. In the face of this massive poverty, Ampofo is telling us Mahama was generous. Christianity is now thrown to the dogs. Disgusting characters carrying themselves as church elders.
HOW CAN YOU WIN AN ELECTION WHEN AN ***barred word***,F00UL1SH AND GREEDY BASTAR1D IS YOUR ELECTION DIRECTOR?
WHEN YOU HAVE SUCH AN ***barred word*** AS YOUR ELECTION DIRECTOR, HOW CAN YOU WIN AN ELECTION?
The person worthy of praise for handing over power, then its HE JJ Rawlings. Even Rawlings handed over power and others too did same so who is who to refuse to hand over power with this huge defeat. Ofosu Ampofo need not to be reminded that we count one before two. You do to others what you want others to do to you. Did HE Mahama (NDC) give HE Kuffour a house before leaving office? the houing issue must be done in order of first come first served.