In response to alleged disrespectful remarks made by Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as ‘Wontumi,’ the Ashanti Youth group and traders, have enforced a ban on the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The ban, disclosed during a press conference in Kumasi on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, stems from accusations that Chairman Wontumi claimed to have “built his own kingdom with military and police force in the Asante Kingdom.”
”Expressing their discontent, the youth not only barred Chairman Wontumi from the Ashanti Region but also forbade his entry into the Manhyia Palace and any other palaces within the region.
The decision was prompted by what the youth labeled an “uncalled-for” outburst and a “display of disrespect for the golden stool” by the Ashanti Regional chairman.A spokesperson for the agitated youth, Mr. Eugene Oppong, who addressed the press, insisted on a public apology from Chairman Wontumi before considering his reintegration into Asanteman.
Mr. Oppong emphasized that Chairman Wontumi’s remarks were disrespectful to the Asante Kingdom, especially the Golden Stool, and warranted an unreserved apology.The controversy emerged during the vetting of NPP parliamentary aspirants in the Ashanti region when Chairman Wontumi purportedly claimed to have “built his own kingdom with military and police force in the Asante Kingdom.”
The statement allegedly followed a confrontation between the regional Chairman and the Manhyia South Organiser for the NPP, Alhaji Abuba.
The Chief of Kokoso, Nana Kwaku Duah, Council of Elders Chairman for Manhyia South, reportedly confronted Wontumi, asserting that, aside from Asantehene, no one in the Asante Kingdom possesses a kingdom.