The Director of Finance and Administration of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), William Yamoah has condemned what he describes as the unlawful detention of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman.
In a statement on Friday, May 30, 2025, Yamoah characterised the arrest as part of a longstanding pattern of persecution by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against members of the NPP, particularly in the Ashanti Region, which he says has consistently stood firm for democratic values, freedom, and political participation.
“The arbitrary and politically motivated detention of Chairman Wontumi is not just an attack on one man; it is an attack on the entire Ashanti people,” Yamoah declared.
“It is a chilling echo of the NDC’s historic mistreatment of Ashantis, a pattern that dates back decades.”
He recounted past instances of alleged abuse, including electoral violence in 1992, economic sabotage in 1996, and marginalization during the NDC’s return to power in 2008.
According to Yamoah, successive NDC governments have systematically attempted to suppress NPP supporters.
“Communities were brutalized, businesses were targeted, and state institutions were weaponized to silence our people. And now, in 2025, the script is disturbingly familiar,” he said.
Yamoah questioned the legality and transparency surrounding Chairman Wontumi’s detention and called it a “flagrant abuse of power” intended to stifle political momentum in a region that has historically resisted NDC dominance.
He further appealed to civil society, religious leaders, traditional authorities, and international observers to speak out against what he termed political intimidation.
“We respectfully call on His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to come to the rescue of his people,” Yamoah said.
The detention of Chairman Wontumi has sparked outrage within NPP circles, with party leaders warning that it could escalate political tensions nationwide.
