A group of Ga-Dangmes, calling themselves the Ga-Dangme Forward Movement, has threatened to demonstrate against the former president, John Mahama, if he does not leave his official residence.
The Chairman of the movement, Emmanuel Adjei Boye, told Citi News their threat is borne out of former President Mahama’s earlier directive against the purchase of state bungalows by government officials.
[contextly_sidebar id=”QLHSkFZjejpNbHrvlY1VY2lic9zaKmrZ”]John Mahama, as President, directed the abolition of the policy that allows public office holders to purchase state bungalows allocated to them in 2013.
Making reference to this, Mr. Boye said the former President must simply abide by his own directives.
“There are rules and regulations guarding official residential facilities, and the former president should also abide by the rules and regulations. He himself set up the rule that no official person takes an official residence when he is going out… If he is a law abiding citizen, he should go by the rules.”
Jake bungalow saga
The group also made particular reference to attempts made by elements of the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to prevent the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey from keeping a government bungalow he had paid for when he was Minister of Tourism during the John Kufuor government.
“This is a Ga land, and they ejected Gas from the land when they were there [in power]. They even took Jake Obetsebi Lamptey to court for acquiring a Ga land. Why should he [Mahama] still stay in that residence saying he wants to acquire it? No, he can’t do that. We won’t allow that.”
“If a Ga citizen cannot acquire a Ga land, nobody then can acquire a Ga land,” Mr. Boye insisted.
In 2012, the then Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the then Deputy Sports Minister, Dr. Omane Boamah, sued Jake Obetsebi Lamptey at the Supreme Court accusing him of abusing his office by acquiring public property for personal gain.
The Supreme Court subsequently ruled in favour of Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, and ordered government to hand over keys to the bungalow.
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry at the time, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, was occupying the house.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana