Former President John Dramani Mahama has challenged the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to state their position on the ex-gratia payment to Article 71 officeholders.

In a tweet shared on Sunday, March 5, 2023, the former president said that rather than criticising his promise to scrap ex-gratia, the NPP should state their position on the issue which is on the heart of every Ghanaian.

“Does the NPP support my call for the scrapping of the payment of ex gratia to members of the executive or not?” parts of the tweet.

The tweet Mahama shared also had a video of him explaining his proposal to scrap ex-gratia to delegates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ketu South in the Volta Region.

Promise to end ex-gratia and run a lean government:

Former President John Dramani Mahama has promised to scrap the retirement benefit given to the Executive under Article 71 officeholders, known as ex-gratia when he becomes president again.

According to him, his government will start the constitutional processes to scrap ex-gratia in the first year of his administration.

The former president, who made these remarks at the launch of his campaign to become the flagbearer of the NDC on Thursday, added that his government would also work to scrap ex-gratia benefits given to appointees under the other arms of government.

"The payment of ex-gratia to members of the executive under Article 71 will be scrapped. And the necessary constitutional steps to abolish that payment will start in earnest in 2025.

"We will also begin the process of persuading the other arms of government other than the executive to accept the removal of this ex-gratia payment," he said.

Mahama also said that his administration would focus on reducing the president's powers and ensuring the separation of powers among the three arms of government: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.

He also said that he would run the leanest government Ghana has ever had in the 4th Republic, with ministers and deputy ministers not numbering more than 60.

Mahama’s promise to cancel ex-gratia has largely been received by members of the public, but his biggest critics including members of the ruling New Patriotic Party have questioned his integrity and motive for making such a promise.

Some of his critics have thus dared the former president to return all emoluments he has received over the years as proof of his commitment to his promise to scrap ex-gratia.

View the former president’s tweet below:

Does the NPP support my call for the scrapping of the payment of ex gratia to members of the executive or not? #BringGhanaTogether #TheGhanaWeWant pic.twitter.com/3LwKvlKZTq

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) March 5, 2023