Former Vice President and 2024 NPP Flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is leading high-level efforts to secure bail for embattled Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, who remains in EOCO custody despite being granted bail.
Chairman Wontumi has been in the custody of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) since Tuesday, 27 May, facing serious allegations of fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering. On 28 May, he was granted bail in the amount of GHS 50 million, but has so far been unable to satisfy the bail conditions, leading to his continued detention.
The extended custody of the influential regional chairman has triggered political unrest, with Minority MPs staging a boycott of parliamentary proceedings and accusing the state of using bail conditions as a political tool.
In an interview with Citi News, Greater Accra Regional NPP Chairman, Divine Agorhom, confirmed that senior figures in the ruling party, including Dr. Bawumia, are actively involved in efforts to secure Chairman Wontumi’s release.
“It is not only His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, but every senior party person,” Agorhom stated. “We are hoping EOCO will revise the conditions to make them more practical.”
Agorhom added that the party is exploring legal avenues to challenge the bail terms, and if necessary, will mobilise resources to meet the current demands.
“If all efforts to vary the conditions fail, then we will have to pull together and do what is needed to get him out,” he said.
Party insiders say the issue has united the NPP’s top brass, with parliamentary leaders, regional executives, and the national leadership all working in tandem to support Wontumi.
The case has become a political flashpoint, with critics accusing the state of weaponising legal processes against opposition figures. Supporters of the NPP, meanwhile, insist they are seeking fairness and due process.
As the legal and political manoeuvring continues, Chairman Wontumi remains in EOCO custody.
