Claim: Between 2013 – 2017, neither John Evans Atta Mills nor John Dramani Mahama lived at the Jubilee House.
Source: Matthew Opoku Prempeh, alias Napo
Verdict: True
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s running mate for the 2024 presidential election, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), has claimed that Ghana’s third and fourth presidents refused to live at the residential complex attached to the presidency.
The two presidents in question are John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama, both men won elections on the ticket of the main opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking during a recent campaign stop in the north, Napo said the two leaders refused to live in the Jubilee House, which was built by former President John Agyekum Kufuor because it was near a Zongo community.
“When President Kufuor built the Jubilee House for all presidents and President Mills and Mahama came, they said Jubilee House is near Nima so they won’t live there. Who lives in Nima? Zongo people.
“For eight years, they never lived in Jubilee House because Jubilee House was near Zongo. And Zongo is Muslim,” he said.
This report will fact-check the following claims:
a. Did Atta Mills or Mahama live at the presidency when they served as presidents?
b. What was their reasons if any.
Fact-Check:
It is on record that the presidential complex was built with an Indian grant secured during the John Agyekum Kufuor presidency. Even though it was not completed by December 2012 when he was exiting office, it was formally opened in November 2008 with work at over 70% done.
On January 6, 2009, the then president-elect, Atta Mills toured the facility but after taking office, he opted to continue to work from the Osu Castle, which had been the seat of government since the Fourth Republic was birthed. It is on record that Atta Mills cited a security report for his decision to not use the Jubilee House. He instead opted to live and work from the Osu Castle.
Mills, till his death in 2012 lived and worked from the Osu Castle. All this while, John Mahama, his vice lived in an official residence at Cantonments in Accra and also worked at a wing of the Castle.
When he became president (completing Mills’ term and starting his), Mahama continued to live at his official residence. He was, however, on record as VP to have said the government will use the Jubilee House when all clearance was given by relevant agencies.
As president, he became the first leader to move operations from Osu Castle to Kanda (on February 7, 2013) but he maintained his vice presidential residence throughout his presidential tenure.
The evidence for this is around the controversy that erupted months after he left office when the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government insisted that he quits his residence because it was supposed to be used by the new VP Mahamudu Bawumia.
A BBC report at the time distilled the issues of Mahama’s accommodation woes, stating in part: “The presidential villa in Ghana is a grand stool-shaped building known as Flagstaff House. But former President Mahama did not live there, preferring to remain in the home of the vice-president – a post he held before his elevation to the presidency in 2012. So, Flagstaff House remained vacant during his rule. Now, it is expected to be occupied by his successor, Nana Akufo-Addo, who won elections last month.”
Mahama eventually moved out of his official residence, which development was carried by local portals. (here, here, here)
Verdict 1:
From the above, it is confirmed (True) that neither Mills nor Mahama, lived at the Jubilee House. Mahama, however worked from the facility as president.
Verdict 2:
With respect to why the two leaders did not reside at Jubilee House – In the case of Mills, its is clear that he opted for the Osu Castle as office and residence because the Jubilee House was not habitable for government business.
In an interview with an aide to former president Mahama, he stressed that the claim that Mahama refused to move into Jubilee House because it was close to a Zongo is at best unfortunate and not worth an official reaction.
Photo credit: Enrique Velo (Flickr)
Follow us on Iqra Today Facebook page and X (Twitter)