Today in History: MPs die from debts – Ursula reveals

Exactly four years ago in 2016, Member of Parliament for the Ablekuma West Constituency, Ursula Owusu Ekulful, has revealed that some MP’s usually die from debts they incur during electioneering periods.

Her comments at that time was in reaction to a research conducted by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana which revealed that 84% of Ghanaians are influenced by the extent to which a candidate can directly provide personal resources, provision of developmental projects in the constituencies.

“When we went into the House, many of the MPs who lost their seats came there hoping to get some ex–gratia were confronted with the fact that they had debts and were even indebted to the state after deduction from whatever was due them from their ex-gratia, some collapsed and some died," Mrs. Ekulful said on StarrFM.

She added that some MPs resorted to begging and borrowing to be able to live up to the financial pressure on them by the constituents.

“People are coming to you for school fees, funeral donations, jobs, sustenance and the problems that they are plagued with daily...and so you are compelled to go around begging and borrowing. A lot of MPs live in debts...many MPs borrow to be able to finance their campaign and are saddled with their debts into the future,” she stated.

Read the full article as first published by StarrFM below:

NPP Member of Parliament for the Ablekuma West Constituency in the Greater Accra region, Ursula Owusu Ekulful, has revealed that some former parliamentarians die from debts they incur during electioneering periods.

“When we went into the House, many of the MPs who lost their seats came there hoping to get some ex–gratia were confronted with the fact that they had debts and were even indebted to the state after deduction from whatever was due them from their ex-gratia, some collapsed and some died," Mrs. Ekulful said.

The comments from the NPP scribe comes after a research conducted by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana revealed that 84% of Ghanaians are to a large extent influenced by the extent to which a candidate can directly provide personal resources, provision of developmental projects in the constituencies and the ability of the candidate to help many people.

Speaking on Morning Starr Tuesday, Mrs. Ekulful told host Nii Arday Clegg that some MPs have resorted to begging and borrowing to be able to live up to the financial pressure on them by the constituents.

“People are coming to you for school fees, funeral donations, jobs, sustenance and the problems that they are plagued with daily...and so you are compelled to go around begging and borrowing.

“A lot of MPs live in debts...many many MPs borrow to be able to finance their campaign and are saddled with their debts into the future.