Wontumi: ‘You’re Looking at Someone Who Breached the Law’ – Otchere

Political analyst Dr Jonathan Asante Otchere has rejected attempts to compare the political circumstances of New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairmanship hopeful Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to those of Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. He said the historical circumstances that saw Nkrumah and Mugabe maintain political influence while imprisoned were fundamentally different from Wontumi’s current situation and should not be used to justify his bid for the NPP national chairmanship.

The comments follow the decision by Wontumi’s supporters to pick nomination forms on his behalf for him to contest the NPP national chairmanship while he remains incarcerated. Supporters of the former Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman have cited historical examples of political figures who attained or retained political prominence while behind bars, including Nkrumah’s victory in the 1952 legislative election while imprisoned and Mugabe’s emergence as leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) during his incarceration.

But Dr Asante Otchere, speaking on News Digest on Saturday, August 22, said the comparisons were inappropriate and risked distracting from the legal circumstances surrounding Wontumi’s case. “These comparisons are misplaced. They are really, really misplaced,” he said. According to him, Nkrumah and Mugabe operated within political struggles and historical contexts that were substantially different from the circumstances surrounding Wontumi’s incarceration.

He argued that the political histories of the two former leaders were shaped by broader nationalist and liberation struggles and therefore could not reasonably be invoked as precedents for Wontumi’s present political ambitions. “Mr Nkrumah is not a freedom fighter. And so, comparing him with Dr Nkrumah, with Robert Mugabe, is much ado about nothing,” Dr Asante Otchere said. He maintained that Wontumi’s situation should instead be examined from the perspective of the law and the consequences arising from his conviction, rather than through historical political analogies.

“You are looking at someone who has breached the law. That’s all,” he said. His comments come amid renewed debate within the NPP over Wontumi’s political future following the move by his supporters to initiate the nomination process for him despite his incarceration. The development has generated discussion about whether a person in Wontumi’s circumstances can pursue a senior party leadership position and what implications his incarceration may have for his eligibility and ability to perform the functions of national chairman if elected.

Dr Asante Otchere said historical examples should not be employed to blur those questions, stressing that Wontumi’s proposed political comeback must be assessed on its own facts and within the applicable legal and political framework. The debate over Wontumi’s candidacy is therefore expected to remain a significant issue in the NPP’s preparations for its next national leadership contest, particularly as supporters continue to frame his bid as evidence of his enduring influence within the party.

By: Joyce Owusu