The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, says he is struggling to survive following the freezing of his bank accounts.
In April, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) froze all accounts linked to Chairman Wontumi after allegations emerged that his company, Akonta Mining, was engaged in illegal mining activities in the Tano Nimiri Forest.
According to him, the action by the FIC has left him unable to feed himself or pay his children’s school fees.
“Today, I struggle to eat and pay my children’s school fees. What state money came to me that justifies this harassment?” he quizzed in a live broadcast on his Wontumi Radio on Friday, May 23.
Chairman Wontumi attributed his current woes to political persecution, alleging that the actions were being orchestrated by President John Dramani Mahama to punish him.
He claimed that despite not holding any official government position in the immediate past NPP administration, he is being unfairly targeted.
“I have never been a Vice President, a Minister, a CEO, or a board member of any state institution. I was only a Chairman with the mandate to campaign for my party,” he stated.
“In 2013, my business was collapsed, yet when we [the NPP] came to power, I didn’t retaliate. Now that you’ve assumed office in 2025, you’re still targeting my companies. Even my bank accounts have been frozen,” he lamented.
The NPP regional chairman’s latest outburst comes after a team of police officers and men believed to be National Security operatives surrounded his home, demanding access on Friday.
Calling on Ghanaians and NPP supporters, Wontumi said: “Ghanaians, rise up. All NPP members, rise up. I am being intimidated by President John Mahama because of you—members of the NPP. After the elections, we didn’t win—you won. So what more do you want?”
