Ashanti Regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako Wontumi
The Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP), has pledged to appoint a shadow Chairman due to the actions and inactions of the incumbent, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi).
According to the faction headed by former Presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Abraham Boadi (Opooman), Chairman Wontumi has looked on without concern for the people of the region to be insulted by Yaw Osafo-Maafo.
Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the Presidential Advisor to His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo and Former Senior Minister, was heard on a secret tape on 10th June 2022 saying the Akyem chiefs contributed significantly to the Independence of Ghana than the Asantes. This is not the first time such an ethnocentric comment has proceeded from Mr. Osafo-Maafo.
In 2016, Mr. Osafo-Maafo in a meeting in the Eastern Region with Hackman Owusu Agyemang and Nana Akufo-Addo, he was secretly taped, saying ethnic Akans, deserve to rule over ethnic groups in the country, since their areas are resource endowed than other ethnic groups in the country. This is the second time Mr. Osafo-Maafo has been heard on tape stoking tribalism in Ghana.
Reacting to the leaked audio, Opooman said in an interview on Happy98.9FM’s ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ political talk show, “If Wontumi doesn’t come and defend us and Osafo Maafo refuses to apologize to us, we will appoint a shadow regional chair for the Ashanti Region.”
He described comments from Osafo Maafo as gross disrespect to Ashantis. “NPP faithful should come and tell Osafo Maafo what he said about us is wrong and we refuse it. He said everything done in the Eastern Region is a success as opposed to other parts of the country and that is wrong,” he told host Don Kwabena Prah.
The politician declared no member of the NPP in the Ashanti Region will heed to Chairman Wontumi and any other party bigwig if this statement is not retracted and a public apology rendered to them (Ashantis).