Jailed Wontumi still in NPP national chairmanship race — Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah
The spokesperson for Bernard Antwi Boasiako's campaign for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) national chairmanship, Dr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, says the campaign remains active despite the conviction and imprisonment of the Ashanti Regional Chairman, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Company Limited and the second accused, Kwame Antwi, who remains at large, were convicted on six counts relating to the unlawful assignment of mineral rights and purposely facilitating unlicensed mining operations within Akonta Mining's concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
An Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie Tay, on Monday, July 20, sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units, with an additional three-year custodial sentence in default of payment.
Speaking on Accra-based TV3's News Central on Friday, Dr. Boakye-Danquah dismissed suggestions that the conviction had ended Chairman Wontumi's ambition to lead the NPP.
He stated that the campaign team had not received any indication to suspend or withdraw from the race.
"We still have a campaign very committed to Chairman Wontumi's ambition to become the national chairman of the party. We haven't received any other indication otherwise as well," he said.
Dr. Boakye-Danquah disclosed that his last conversation with Chairman Wontumi took place shortly after the court handed down its sentence, during which the convicted politician urged his supporters to remain focused on both his campaign and the party's broader electoral objective.
"His last words to me on the day that he was sentenced on July 20 was that we should work hard to be able to bring Dr. Bawumia back to power and that we should also work hard to make him the national chairman of the party and that he is going to be okay," he stated.
He added that the campaign team remains optimistic about Chairman Wontumi's bid.
Meanwhile, the legal team for the incarcerated politician has filed an application for bail pending the determination of an appeal process challenging the sentence.