Wontumi's imprisonment has left me emotionally, financially devastated – Ashanti NPP Communications Director
The Ashanti Regional Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Kwabena Yandoh, says the imprisonment of the party's Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has had a profound emotional and financial impact on him.
Mr Yandoh, who is contesting for the position of Ashanti Regional Secretary with the backing of Chairman Wontumi, made the remarks during an interview on Asempa FM, revealing that he had been unable to speak to the media since news of the conviction emerged because of the emotional strain.
"I have cried a lot since the news broke yesterday," he said.
Describing the conviction as a deeply personal matter, Mr Yandoh said he felt devastated by the development.
"NDC is really harming me. This is my fight. It is not a small issue. It is a sad issue. I have cried a lot since the news broke yesterday," he said.
He also questioned the severity of the 20-year prison sentence imposed on the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman.
"If you say you are putting someone in jail for 20 years... How long did even Jesus Christ live for? How then can you put Wontumi in prison for 20 years?" he asked.
Mr Yandoh insisted that Chairman Wontumi was innocent of the illegal mining offences for which he was convicted, alleging that a key witness had given false testimony during the trial.
"Someone rather went onto his land. You caught the culprit, freed them and asked them to be a witness against your landlord so we imprison him. And since he loves his wife and her cooking, he came to bear false witness," he alleged.
Beyond the emotional impact, Mr Yandoh disclosed that the conviction had also affected his financial situation, saying Chairman Wontumi had been providing him with support.
"I'm seriously pained; I don't know what to do. My finances are in shambles. It is Wontumi who was bearing me up," he said.