Political infiltrations affecting business of Council of State - Martin Kpebu

Togbe Afede returns ex-gratia

Government has 11 members in Council of State, Lawyer

Council of State needs drastic overhaul, Martin Kpebu

A private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has noted that the Council of State has become redundant and needs to be restructured.

According to him, political infiltration has affected the Council’s credibility.

He makes these comments after Paramount Chief of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, returned GH¢365,000 ex-gratia that was paid to him for serving on the Council between 2017 and 2020.

Due to the gesture, questions about the relevance of the Council of State and the payment of ex gratia have dominated the media space.

But Martin Kpebu speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile stated that the amount paid as ex-gratia to members of the Council of State is a burden to the state’s coffers as their role has not been of so much benefit to the country.

“This Council of State needs a drastic overhaul because from the way they operate, we are not able to get that kind of credible, independent advice that we wish in a democracy such as ours. To start with, the President appoints 11 of the members; so, he has 11 in his pocket. In a situation where the President alone controls 11 members, then we are in trouble.

“This Council of State, generally, they are not that robust and it’s because of the composition – how they get in there. The Council of State, the institution as created by the Constitution, doesn’t live up to the billing. We’re expecting a robust Council that counsels the President,” he said.