A member of the National Executive Committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Wonder Victor Kutor, has urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to allow Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to contest the party’s national chairmanship race if the party considers him a political prisoner.

According to Kutor, if Wontumi and his supporters maintain that his conviction is politically motivated, then the NPP should allow him to continue participating in the party’s internal contest despite his imprisonment.

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“My appeal to the NPP is that they should allow Wontumi to contest for the NPP chairmanship from prison,” he said in an interview on Channel One TV and monitored by GhanaWeb on July 27, 2026.

Kutor acknowledged Wontumi’s right to appeal his conviction, noting that possible grounds could include errors of law, procedural irregularities, wrongful admission of evidence, or an excessive sentence.

"They have their right to appeal and this government doesn't persecute. We go strictly by the law. They (the government) will not interfere in the judiciary. I mean, judicial independence is key to strengthening our democracy," he noted

However, Kutor stressed that filing an appeal against a conviction does not automatically mean Wontumi is innocent.

He also called for persons found guilty of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, to face the law, arguing that the environmental and social consequences of such activities are too severe to ignore.

Wontumi was sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour on July 20, 2026, by an Accra High Court.

He was convicted of assigning mineral rights without approval and facilitating illegal mining through his firm, Akonta Mining, at Samreboi in the Western Region.

Meanwhile, the NPP has announced that it will appeal against the court's decision.

JKB/VPO

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