By Stanley Assor
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has launched a campaign of equalisation in an attempt to mollify the blowback from its election of alleged wee-smoker and criminal ex-convict Kwadwo Fosu Boadu, alias Kojo Bamba, as its First National Vice Chairman.
The NPP is claiming that, just like Bamba, Godwin Ako Gunn, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy Communications Officer, is also an ex-convict. Consequently, according to the NPP, both the NDC and the NPP have elected ex-convicts as national executives.
However, that attempt at equalisation has been failing because, as the archives show, Godwin Ako Gunn, whose incarceration was over alleged threats made against judges, has since received a presidential pardon.
The Montie 3 Case
In July 2016, radio host Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe, and political panellists Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Nelson were sentenced to four months in prison and fined GH¢10,000 each by the Supreme Court of Ghana after they were found guilty of criminal contempt for making threats against Supreme Court judges on Montie FM, an Accra-based radio station.
Subsequently, on August 22, 2016, President Mahama exercised his prerogative of mercy under Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution. He remitted the remainder of their prison sentences on compassionate and remorse grounds after they had served roughly one month of their terms.
They were officially released from Akuse Prison on August 26, 2016.
Then, in November 2018, the Supreme Court dismissed legal challenges brought against the pardon, ruling by a 5-2 majority that President Mahama’s use of executive mercy for criminal contempt was entirely lawful and constitutional.
As it stands now, therefore, all three in the so-called Montie 3 case have been fully absolved of the consequences of their court sentences and can therefore not be called ex-convicts.
The exact opposite is the case with Kojo Bamba, the NPP’s ex-convict First Vice Chairman, who was convicted but never received a presidential pardon.
A Kumasi-based, illiterate mechanic, gangbanger and founding member of the disbanded NPP goon squad, Delta Forces, Bamba was the leader of thirteen Delta Forces vigilantes who were convicted and fined by the Asokwa District Court in Kumasi in 2017.
Apparently high on wee, Bamba was the ring leader in charge when the 13 Delta Forces goons besieged the office of the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, vandalised it, and then beat the Coordinator, George Adjei, to pulp on March 24, 2017.
That criminal behaviour resulted in their arrest and subsequent arraignment before the Kumasi Circuit/District Court.
On April 6, 2017, when the trial judge, Mary Senkyire, ordered that they be remanded, Bamba again led a charge to threaten the life of the judge.
Subsequently, other members of the Delta Forces joined in and attacked the trial judge, forcibly freeing Bamba and the 12 other party goons standing trial before the court.
Amid the attacks, the judge, who was reportedly pregnant at the time, had to abandon the court and flee for her life.
Other members of that criminal squad are Awal Sadat Abubakar, Abubakar Sadiq Abdul Hameed, also written as Abuhammed, Jamil Issah, also written as Jamil Issa, Hamza Mohammed, Salu Issahak, also written as Salu Issaka, Akwasi Owusu, and Kwabena Owusu.
The rest are Kofi Kyei, Agya Boadu, also written as Eggya Boadi or Kwadwo Boadu, Salu Yussif, Yussif Salu and Kwaku Awortwe, also written as Kwaku Awortwi.
The thirteen criminals would later turn themselves in to the police. They pleaded guilty to rioting and conspiracy and received a fine of GH¢1,800 each, or 12 months’ imprisonment in default, alongside a 12-month bond to be of good behaviour.
It was against this background that the NPP, in its national executives’ election, elected Bamba as First National Vice Chairman.
The election of the illiterate was at the expense of intellectuals such as Dr. Mustapha Hamid, UK-trained Richard Ahiagba and George Kwabena Abankwa.
Bamba’s election also now positions him above his former boss, Henry Nana Boakye, who initially used Bamba’s services as a bodyguard and personal gladiator. Nana B was elected Second National Vice Chairman.
Bamba polled 3,116 votes to be elected First Vice Chairman, followed by Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B), who polled 3,061 votes and was elected Second Vice Chairman, and Nana Akomea, who polled 2,987 votes and was elected Third Vice Chairman.
The unsuccessful contestants were Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hameed, 2,956 votes; Yaa Amponsah Frimpong, 1,503 votes; Richard Ahiagba, 1,001 votes; Alhaji Masawudu Osman, 890 votes; George Kwabena Abankwah Yeboah, 247 votes; Horma Miez, 232 votes; Samuel Pyne, 206 votes; Abena Pokua Boaitey Amoah, 194 votes; Richard Oti Aboagye, 152 votes; and Bright Esselfie Kumi, 51 votes.