Jailed Chairman Wontumi Picks NPP National Chairman Nomination: "We Are Continuing"
- Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for illegal mining-related offences
- His campaign team confirmed they collected the NPP National Chairman nomination forms on his behalf despite his incarceration
- Wontumi's lawyers have filed for bail pending the hearing of his appeal against the conviction and sentence
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Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has taken a formal step towards contesting the party's National Chairman position, with his campaign team collecting nomination forms on his behalf while he remains in prison.
His Communications Director, Ewuradwoa Coleman, confirmed the development.
Source: Getty Images
She told Joy News: "Yes indeed, the campaign team has picked up forms on behalf of Chairman Wontumi. We are continuing his bid in the National Chairmanship race."
An Accra High Court presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay convicted Boasiako on charges connected to illegal mining activities at the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.
The offences included assigning mineral rights without the required ministerial approval and facilitating unlicensed mining operations.
The court imposed multiple sentences running concurrently, resulting in an effective 20-year custodial term. In addition, he was ordered to pay a fine of GH¢120,000, with a three-year default prison sentence if the fine goes unpaid.
His legal team has since filed an application seeking bail pending the hearing and determination of his appeal against both the conviction and the sentence.
An Unusual Race for the NPP
Despite being incarcerated and pursuing an active legal challenge, Boasiako's camp has pressed ahead with his candidacy for the party's national executive elections.
The bid would see him move from the Ashanti Regional chairmanship to the top administrative position in the NPP, should he succeed.
The move introduces a striking dimension to what is already a competitive internal race within the opposition party, raising questions about whether a candidate serving a custodial sentence can meaningfully campaign and, if elected, function in a national party leadership role.
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The NPP has not yet publicly responded to the development.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
