Kofi Ofosu Nkansah Sends Strong Warning to Mahama Appointees After Wontumi's 20-Year Sentence

• NPP's Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, aka Chairman Wontumi, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for illegal mining offences
• Former NEIP CEO Kofi Ofosu Nkansah issued a public warning to John Mahama and his appointees in response to the conviction
• Nkansah described Wontumi's sentencing as political persecution, arguing the case was driven by personal vendetta rather than criminal conduct

Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) widely known as Chairman Wontumi, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of illegal mining offences connected to Akonta Mining Company Limited's concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.

The court handed down 20 years on the first count and an additional 20 years of hard labour on the fourth count.

Nkansah issues warning to Mahama

The conviction has drawn a sharp response from Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, a former Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), who issued a pointed public warning directed at President John Mahama and members of his administration.

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"John Mahama and his People will be paid back in future for jailing Wontumi. He insulted me and my wife so let's take him to Court on some frivolous charges and punish him," he wrote in a Facebook post on Monday, July 20, 2026.

While acknowledging that Wontumi had acted irresponsibly in his personal conduct, Nkansah drew a distinction between that behaviour and criminal wrongdoing.

"Wontumi has not stolen Government money or destroyed the Environment. He was irresponsible to have insulted you and your wife, and I won't condone that but irresponsibility is not a crime," he stated.

Nkansah makes political persecution claim

Nkansah argued that the basis of the conviction was fundamentally unjust, contending that Wontumi was being held responsible for mining activity carried out by another party on his properly secured concession.

"He has been jailed because someone allegedly mined illegally on his properly secured concession. It's just Political persecution and nothing else," he wrote.

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The statement has added a political dimension to what prosecutors framed as a galamsey-related criminal case, with Nkansah's remarks suggesting the NPP intends to revisit the matter in some form when the balance of political power shifts.

Read the Facebook post below:

NPP TikToker Bawumia Ba reportedly re-arrested

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that the Ghana Police Service had re-arrested popular NPP-aligned TikToker Akosua Serwaa Aminat Mahama, known as Bawumia Ba, on Friday.

The 26-year-old was first arrested by the IGP's Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team in May 2026 before being granted bail.

Authorities said she is expected to be arraigned before the appropriate court to answer the offensive conduct charge.

Source: YEN.com.gh