Dr Palgrave Boakye-Dankwah, spokesperson for Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, says his incarceration will not derail his bid to contest for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) national chairmanship.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight, he said supporters of the former Ashanti Regional Chairman would pick up nomination forms on his behalf before the end of the week despite concerns over his eligibility under the party’s constitution.
According to him, Chairman Wontumi remains committed to his ambition of leading the party and intends to go ahead with the process despite being in prison.
“Chairman Wontumi is a politician. His friends believe in his ambition, and they are going to make sure that his form will be picked, submitted and filed,” he said on Wednesday, August 19.
Dr Boakye-Dankwah argued that nothing legally prevents the NPP stalwart from picking up or filing nomination forms.
He explained that supporters who intend to secure the forms for him view him as a political prisoner and believe he should be allowed to contest.
“I’m certain that the friends of Chairman Wontumi premised their decision to pick up a form for him purely based on the party’s position on the imprisonment of Chairman Wontumi, considering him as a political prisoner,” he stated.
His comments come amid questions over provisions in the NPP’s constitution that bar members convicted and sentenced for certain offences from contesting for party positions.
However, Dr Boakye-Dankwah insisted that the campaign team would proceed with the process and deal with any challenges that might arise later.
He disclosed that nomination forms are expected to be picked up on Friday, after which they would be taken to Chairman Wontumi to sign before being submitted.
The spokesperson also dismissed suggestions that Chairman Wontumi should focus solely on his legal battle rather than pursuing a leadership position within the party.
He noted that the politician had already completed a nationwide campaign tour covering all 16 regions and 276 constituencies before his imprisonment.
“Chairman was one of the first persons who stepped into the competition. He’s done his first round of the campaign already,” he said.
Chairman Wontumi was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment over illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, who presided over the Criminal Division of the High Court, delivered the sentence shortly after 11:40 am on Monday, July 20, 2026, bringing to an end one of Ghana’s most closely watched illegal mining prosecutions.
The court also imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢120,000, with a default sentence of three years’ imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
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