NPP figures plan visit to Mahama to apologize for Chairman Wontumi’s conduct

Some senior members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are preparing to visit former President John Mahama to seek forgiveness on behalf of the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

This was revealed by the Member of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, during an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen. According to Dr. Afriyie, the visit has the full support of Chairman Wontumi.

“I spoke to Wontumi and suggested that we should go and beg, and he agreed. So we are ready to go and apologise to President Mahama. We will plead with him to exercise restraint,” he stated.

Chairman Wontumi is currently under investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for alleged financial crimes, including fraud and money laundering. He was arrested on May 27, 2025, and spent nearly six days in EOCO custody before being granted bail on June 2, 2025. The bail was set at GH¢50 million with two sureties to be justified.

Dr. Afriyie claimed that the legal action may go beyond EOCO. “The hand behind this is bigger than the people who run the EOCO and the intelligence agencies. I will put it at the doorstep of President Mahama,” he said during an interview on Channel One TV.

He acknowledged that Wontumi’s behavior, especially during the 2024 election season, had crossed the line. Referring to viral videos in which Wontumi attacked President Mahama personally, Dr. Afriyie said, “Wontumi went overboard in some of his videos. And I played a lot of them to show him on June 9. I told him we will go and beg, if we have to kneel down in front of President Mahama, and we will tell him that for these videos, he [Wontumi] crossed the line.”

He stressed that while political rivalry is acceptable, it should not involve insults or lies. “Political rivalry is normal, but it must not be laced with fabrications or personal attacks,” Dr. Afriyie concluded.