The 2028 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has led a high powered delegation of party top guns, to the Nsawman Medium Security Prison, where the Ashanti Regional chairman of the party, is currently serving a prison term.
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, was on Monday, July 20, sentenced to 20-years imprisonment with hard labour.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Akonta Mining was found guilty by an Accra High Court for facilitating illegal mining notoriously known as galamsey at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The delegation paid the visit on Wednesday, to solidarize with the businessman cum politician who is despite his incarceration is vying for the national chairman position in the NPP’s up and coming national delegates’ conference slated for September 2026.
Of course some in the NPP particularly the Ashanti Regional communication director, Paul Yandoh has interestingly advocated that Wontumi be allowed to contest the election so that when he wins, he runs the party from the prison yard. But the party’s constitution appears not to allow and support that suggestion.
The delegation included the former national chairman Freddie Blay, Minority Leader in Parliament Alex Afenyo-Markin, and a former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mampong constituency Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong and others members.
According to the party, the visit is also a response to the High Court’s judgment, which it sees as unjust.
A video of their trip shared on the internet shows a fleet of luxurious vehicles in a convoy heading to the prison located in the Eastern Regional town of Nsawam.
In the few minutes video, one could see some members of the delegation upon their arrival, waiting outside of the entrance of the prison, while the leadership led by Dr Bawumia go in to meet prison authorities and the convict as security at the confinement area rained very tight.
The party is said to have gathered the NPP’s top legal brains to support the lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea to appeal the judgment which it has described as “political persecution” and “witch hunt”.
Dr Bawumia reportedly used the opportunity to assess the convict’s condition, encouraging him and assuring him that, the party would pursue all lawful means to challenge the conviction.
He took advantage of the opportunity to encourage him to stay strong and to be aware that the whole party is solidly behind him and that the party will do everything lawful to ensure that he gets out of this situation”.
Despite the sentencing, spokesperson to the flagbearer, Yuffif Khomeini said in an interview that, Wontumi still insists he was never involved in illegal mining.
“He maintained that he’s never engaged in galamsey….and he’s confident that at the end of the day, he would be exonerated”, he said.
He added that, his legal team has already prepared a notice of appeal containing about 20 grounds.
In a related development, the incarcerated politician on the same Wednesday appeared before the High Court that jailed him, to defend himself in a separate case involving another illegal mining at the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserves also in the Western Region.
He was accompanied by a tight security and was joined by two others who were jointly sued with. His plea bargain negotiation with the Attorney General (AG) in the GH¢14.3M Ghana Exim Bank loan scandal, has also broken down as the Deputy AG and Minister for Justice Justice Srem-Sai says ahead of meeting his legal team the state has rejected his offer.
By Gifty Boateng