Mahama under fire over unfulfilled ex-gratia pledge as NDC critics demand action

Former Effia Member of Parliament Joseph Cudjoe has launched a sharp rebuke of President John Dramani Mahama, questioning whether the government has quietly shelved one of the National Democratic Congress's most prominent 2024 election commitments: the abolition of ex-gratia payments for Article 71 office holders.

Cudjoe's challenge comes as the government released its White Paper responding to recommendations from the Constitutional Review Committee. According to the former Public Enterprises Minister, the document conspicuously avoids proposing the elimination of ex-gratia, a benefit that has long been contentious in Ghana's public discourse over state spending and fiscal discipline.

What the White Paper reveals

Rather than scrapping the controversial benefit entirely, the White Paper proposes establishing an Independent Public Emoluments Commission to oversee the salaries, allowances, and benefits of Article 71 office holders—a measure that Cudjoe argues falls short of the NDC's campaign promise. More notably, the document explicitly references the President's retirement gratuity and recommends exempting it from taxation, a provision that Cudjoe interprets as tacit acknowledgement that ex-gratia payments will persist.

Cudjoe emphasised that whilst the Constitutional Review Committee itself did not recommend abolishing ex-gratia, the NDC had campaigned on a more ambitious position, pledging Ghanaians a complete end to the benefit. The absence of this commitment in the government's response, he argues, signals a broken promise rather than deference to the committee's findings.

"The unavoidable conclusion is that President Mahama has, at least so far, scrapped his promise to scrap ex-gratia," Cudjoe stated in his position. He called for immediate action: if the government genuinely intends to honour its pledge, it must amend the White Paper explicitly to provide for the abolition of ex-gratia and introduce the necessary constitutional amendments to give it legal effect.

Why this matters for Ghana

The ex-gratia debate strikes at core issues of governance, fiscal responsibility, and public trust in political campaigns. Ghana has long grappled with the optics and economics of Article 71 benefits—which include substantial lump-sum payments to sitting and former presidents, chief justices, and parliamentary leaders upon leaving office. These payments consume significant public resources at a time when the nation faces considerable fiscal pressures, including wage bill constraints and competing demands for education, health, and infrastructure investment.

The NDC made the promise central to its anti-corruption and good-governance messaging during the campaign, positioning it as evidence of commitment to cutting wasteful expenditure and aligning leadership with ordinary citizens' financial struggles. For many Ghanaians already sceptical of political promises, any perceived retreat—or silent abandonment—of this pledge reinforces cynicism about campaign rhetoric versus governing reality.

Cudjoe's public challenge also signals internal fractures within the NDC itself. As a party elder and former minister, his willingness to hold the government accountable on a flagship promise suggests that party faithfuls and critics alike are watching closely how Mahama's administration follows through on its commitments in these early months.

The path forward

The government faces a choice: formally clarify its position on ex-gratia through revised proposals and constitutional amendments, or accept the narrative that the promise has been abandoned. Silence or inaction will likely intensify scrutiny and provide ammunition for opposition critics claiming that the campaign promise was merely electioneering.

Until the administration takes explicit steps to amend the White Paper and pursue the necessary constitutional reforms, Cudjoe's conclusion—that "the promise to scrap ex-gratia has itself been scrapped"—will likely gain traction among observers monitoring how the Mahama administration translates campaign rhetoric into legislative and constitutional action.