By Richmond Keelson, Ontario, Canada

The persona of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako—popularly known as Chairman Wuntumi—continues to stir emotions. His public image is laced with annoyance, buffoonery, and outright dejection. 

On the flip side, however, there is a pretentious acceptance— that his irrational traits are, in fact, deliberate and carefully crafted to serve a specific agenda and its intended beneficiaries. Yet beneath the surface of these apparent political gains, even those who stand to benefit know they are merely exploiting his folly for short-term political point scoring. 

This proposition came into full display last week, as the enigmatic character of Wontumi once again took center stage. Indeed, the two main protagonists in the impending NPP presidential race—Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Agyepong, used Wontumi’s arrest by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to stage a political charade—one that ironically inflicted more pain on Chairman Wontumi than the arrest itself. 

Wontumi was arrested at the Ghana Police Headquarters by EOCO and later charged with multiple offences. According to the Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem Sai, Wontumi is under investigation for several criminal offences, including alleged fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering. 

Dr. Srem Sai further revealed that the charges are “not limited to local criminal activities but also form part of a wider international organized crime probe, being undertaken in collaboration with global law enforcement partners.” 

Although Wontumi was granted bail, his failure to meet the bail condition—GH₵50 million with two sureties—prolonged his stay in custody beyond the statutory 48-hour limit. Ironically, his inability to fulfill the bail terms provided the perfect setting for supporters of the two presidential hopefuls to stoke their parochial political agenda. 

The decoy of Afenyo-Markin and the Minority Protest 

The micro-minority group in Parliament, led by Afenyo-Markin, was the first to raise the red flag over what they described as a draconian bail condition. In protest, they marched to the EOCO office in solidarity with Chairman Wontumi and to register their displeasure over the high bail requirement.  

Their demonstration took a theatrical turn when they sat bare on the streets to dramatize their resistance. Interestingly, within the same year, another member of the erstwhile NPP administration, Kwabena Adu Boahene—also facing multiple criminal charges—was granted bail set at GH₵120 million.  

He sought legal redress, and the court later reduced the amount to GH₵80 million. Given his legal background, many expected Afenyo-Markin to advise his colleagues to pursue a similar legal route. But that was not the path they chose.  

Instead, they opted for drama over due process. In the end, Afenyo and his group did achieve the immediate objective of drawing public attention to their protest. However, their actions created an opening that the two presidential hopefuls were quick to exploit—but ironically, it did little to help Wontumi’s actual release from custody. 

Kennedy Agyapong’s Visit and Bawumia’s Reaction 

 The first to appear at the EOCO office was Kennedy Agyapong, who had previously provided a GH₵10 million surety for the release of Prof. Ameyaw Akumfi, who is also facing criminal charges. 

However, it turned out that Agyapong’s presence was more symbolic than transactional. He came to demonstrate concern, not to post bail for Wontumi. His gesture appeared calculated—to neutralize any future attempt by his adversaries to use the Wontumi situation against his presidential ambitions. 

But the dynamics quickly shifted. Jittery about the possibility of Kennedy scoring another political point by potentially securing Wontumi’s release—and without fully considering the real intent of Kennedy’s visit—Dr. Bawumia, according to credible NPP sources, was compelled to appear at the EOCO office.  

His visit, likewise, framed as an act of solidarity, was also aimed at finding a means to meet Wontumi’s bail condition. This was confirmed by his aide, Akbar Yussif Khomeini. However, the gesture proved to be a political hoax—perhaps a calculated move to gain popularity and bolster his chances in the NPP presidential race. 

The political spin surrounding Bawumia’s visit was further exposed by Andy Appiah-Kubi, legal counsel for Wontumi, who contradicted the claims by both Bawumia and Afenyo-Markin that EOCO officials had denied them access to Wontumi. 

According to Appiah-Kubi, he, along with EOCO officials, had made efforts to bring Wontumi out to meet the former Vice President. However, the chaotic and volatile atmosphere created by the NPP entourage and their supporters made it impossible to proceed safely. 

Despite this, Bawumia joined the populist chorus, criticizing the bail terms as excessively harsh—even though Appiah-Kubi had publicly praised EOCO for its professionalism in handling the case. In fact, Wontumi’s counsel confirmed that he eventually raised the required bail bond—exceeding the GH₵50 million threshold—thanks to the intervention of Bryan Acheampong, a dark horse in the NPP presidential race. 

Appiah-Kubi’s Pain and the Price of Needless Populism 

 Lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi’s efforts to secure Wontumi’s release were further undermined by what he perceived as the self-serving political interests of Dr. Bawumia. Our sources have discovered that, after failing to pressure Raymond Archer’s office into conceding to their demands, Bawumia advised that they seek a court order to vary the bail conditions. 

That decision was executed by Gary Nimako, head of the NPP’s legal team, who submitted a bail variation application to both Appiah-Kubi and EOCO at a time when EOCO officials were already prepared to inspect the content of Bryan Acheampong’s surety and proceed with Wuntumi’s release. 

With the court application now in play, Appiah-Kubi told the media he was left powerless to act, stating that nothing further could be done unless the application was either withdrawn or heard by the court. 

What’s more telling is that Gary Nimako’s application was filed without the prior knowledge or consent of Wontumi’s legal counsel—further confirming how the case had been  

hijacked and transformed into a political playground, particularly by Bawumia in pursuit of his presidential ambitions.