'My Friend Nana Akomea, I Did Not Insult You' - Mahama Subtly Responds To STC Boss In Ex-gratia 'War'

John Dramani Mahama, the recently re-elected 2024 flagbearer of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has responded again to a call on him by Nana Akomea, the Managing Director of the State Transport Corporation (STC), that he should refrain from insulting citizens if he wants to be President of Ghana again.

This emanated from an initial call on the John Mahama to stop accepting ex-gratia payments from the state if he intends abolishing ex-gratia when he returns to power.

Speaking on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' programme last two weeks Nana Akomea said he would demonstrate in his stance on abolishing ex-gratia when Mahama returns to power.

"So, you, President Mahama, today if you claim you don't believe in the ex-gratia, the ones that you have taken, we know that you have spent it already, so we can't say that go and bring it . . .but the challenge I am giving to him is that the ones he will be taking from this month May, he shouldn’t take it, he should stop taking the ex-gratia, the same way Togbe Afede stopped and returned his own, he should follow the same principle," he told host Nana Yaw Kesseh that the ex-president was receiving ex-gratia.



Mahama's response

John Mahama responding to Nana Akomea in a Twitter post on Friday said he receives a monthly pension and not ex-gratia as Nana Akomea claimed.

"My friend Nana Akomea. Really sad what politics can do to a fine mind! I don't take ex-gratia. I receive a monthly pension," John Mahama tweeted.

Nana Akomea Rebutts

The Managing Director of the State Transport Corporation (STC) didn't take this lightly as he responded to the ex-president.

In Nana Akomea's response to the ex-president, he said he fully endorses President Mahama’s sentiments.

"I only asked him to show leadership by reviewing his own entitlements in the light of the burden these present to the taxpayer and his plan to scrap the Ex-Gratia.

"Even if President Mahama disagrees with me, I am sad that he chose to lace his disagreement with insults to my person, by implying politics had caused me to lose my “fine mind”.

"The last time other citizens commented on this same sentiments of President Mahama, he met them with similar insults, calling them “Silly”.

"I urge President Mahama, that if he wants to be President of Ghana again, he should refrain from insulting citizens.

"I assure him I am still his friend and I still have a fine mind."

However, in a tweet on Monday afteroon, Mr. Mahama has replied Nana Akomea.

"My friend Nana Akomea. I did not insult you. I know you know the difference between a lump sum ex-gratia payment and a monthly pension. Why you chose to misinform the public was because of politics," he posted on twitter Monday afternoon.