The campaign team of former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has picked nomination forms for him to contest the party’s National Chairmanship position.
The development means Wontumi’s bid for the influential party position is moving forward despite his current incarceration and an ongoing legal challenge against his conviction.
The decision was confirmed by Ewuradwoa Coleman, Communications Director of Wontumi’s campaign team.
According to her, the campaign team obtained the forms on behalf of the aspirant and remains committed to his ambition of becoming the NPP’s next National Chairman.
“We are continuing his bid in the National Chairmanship race,” Coleman said in an interview with Joy News, confirming that the nomination process had proceeded despite Wontumi’s current circumstances.
Wontumi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence following his conviction by an Accra High Court over offences connected to illegal mining activities at the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.
The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, found him guilty on charges including assigning mineral rights without the required ministerial approval and deliberately facilitating unlicensed mining operations.
The sentences imposed on the different counts are running concurrently, resulting in an effective 20-year custodial sentence. The court also imposed a GH¢120,000 fine, with a three-year prison term in default of payment. That default sentence is also to run concurrently with the main sentence.
Wontumi has challenged both his conviction and sentence through the legal process. His lawyers have also filed an application seeking bail pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
Despite these legal challenges, his campaign has continued with the NPP’s internal electoral process. The decision to pick the nomination forms keeps his national chairmanship ambition alive as the party prepares for its national executive elections.
Wontumi, who previously served as the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, is seeking to move from the regional level to one of the party’s most influential national positions.
His decision to contest while serving a prison sentence has created an unusual situation within the party and is likely to generate further discussion about the eligibility requirements for candidates seeking national executive positions.
The issue of whether his conviction, appeal and incarceration could affect his ability to participate fully in the electoral process may become increasingly important as the nomination process progresses.
For now, however, his campaign team has demonstrated that it intends to continue pursuing the chairmanship bid.
The development adds another layer to the NPP’s preparations for its national executive elections and could make the National Chairmanship contest one of the closely watched internal races within the party.
As the process continues, attention will likely focus on the party’s electoral rules, Wontumi’s legal proceedings and whether his candidacy will receive clearance to proceed to the subsequent stages of the election.
Source: Thepressradio.com
