Kufuor ‘supports’ Mahama over accommodation saga

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has seemingly endorsed ex-president John Mahama’s decision to choose a particular bungalow where he wants to stay as part of his retirement package. According to Mr. Kufuor, any president leaving office should be allowed to choose where he wants to live.

Spokesperson for Mr. Kufuor, Frank Agyekum in an interview with 3Fm said his boss believes that former presidents should have a say in where they would live after retirement.

These comments come on the back of a heated public debate over former President Mahama’s request to the Akufo-Addo government to allow him to stay in his current residence as part of his retirement package. Mr. Agyekum, speaking on behalf of former President Kufuor said “what’s at stake is that president Mahama has made a choice and that is how it should be.

The president must choose and there should be negotiations. “All this things are done for the dignity of the office not the individual so whether you like the person or not the office must be honored and president Kufuor’s view is that the president must have a choice in where he wants to stay but he leaves it to the government to decide.”

He said former President Kufuor has still not been given his official accommodation as an ex-president and still lives in his old residence at Dzorwulu in Accra even though a house was proposed to him. “He declined to accept it because he was not consulted before it was acquired” he added. “He hasn’t received any house. We know that the committee has recommended one but it has not been done. 3 to 4 years ago, the government came up with a house at TRASSACO but he rejected it because he was not consulted on it.

Later he was given a land site to build his choice but government is yet to do that.” Frank Agyekum is therefore demanding that the former president be given what he’s due.