Mahama, Debrah must be banned from Ashanti Kingdom - Wontumi

Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama and his Former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah are in hot waters according to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Mr. Bernard Antwi Bosiako, as they risk being banned from entering or engaging themselves in any activities in the Ashanti Region.

Bernard Antwi Bosiako popularly known as Wontumi noted that Mr. Mahama and Julius Debrah have to face the Asanteman Traditional Council, to explain why they are labeling the King of Ashanti as a ‘liar’.

The Asantehene had claimed in an address abroad that his palace had to convince the former President to hand over power after the polls that saw him losing with over one million votes to now President Akufo-Addo.

“At the conclusion of the last presidential and parliamentary elections, the country [Ghana] stood on the edge of disaster. The UN representatives and the diplomatic community were aghast, alarmed that Ghana was going to slip down the slope of electoral violence.

“Fortunately, the moral authority of the palace was at hand. We were able to intervene to persuade the losing candidate to accept his fate and fly both candidates for a quiet encounter to pave the way for a handover,” said the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II claimed.

But in a statement attributed to Mr. Julius Debrah, he said his boss handed overpower out of his commitment to the rule of law and democracy.

“I state without equivocation that the decision to concede and congratulate Nana Akufo-Addo even before the official results were declared was taken by President Mahama himself without any persuasion from any quarter.

On the day President Mahama willingly conceded defeat, he met with then-Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah- Arthur, NDC Chairman Kofi Portuphy, General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia, together with some high ranking members of the party and informed them of his decision to call and congratulate Nana Akufo-Addo.

“Following the meeting with the party, he called a number of personalities including President Jerry John Rawlings, President John Agyekum Kufuor, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, National Chief Imam Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu, Rev. Ernest Agyei of the Ringway Assemblies of God Church and Archbishop Duncan Williams.

“As Otumfuo himself has already stated publicly, under his auspices, there were three meetings held in Kumasi between President Mahama and then Candidate/President-Elect Nana Akufo-Addo during the period,” the statement said. It added:

“The first was prior to the December 07 election in which the two candidates promised to play fair and respect the will of the people. Indeed, President Mahama in a conversation with Nana Akufo-Addo said he hoped Nana was not going to tie down the nation in a court case again after the 2016 elections.

“The other two meetings took place after the official declaration of the results of the elections, and to re-emphasise after President Mahama had publicly conceded and congratulated Nana Akufo-Addo.

Those two meetings focused on matters arising out of the transition process.

But speaking on Ashh Fm’s National Agenda on Monday, September 16, 2019, The Outspoken NPP Chairman told show host Oderfour Qwasi Kasy that, with immediate effect, Mr. John Mahama and Mr. Julius Debrah must be banned from the Golden Kingdom.

‘’Asanteman Council has to ban these men from engaging in any activity in the region, I will ensure that they face a life ban from the region, even if the traditional authority fails to act on this shameful statement from the NDC’ He stressed.

Wontumi claims that former President Mahama and the NDC have been championing countless agenda to bring the image of the Golden Kingdom to mud.

He said the move by Julius Debrah had now eventually exposed the former President Mahama and the NDC’s anti-Asante traits they have been exhibiting since.

Chairman Wontumi is asking Asanteman Council, Bantamahene Baffour Amankwatia III and the Youth of Ashanti to ensure Mr. Mahama and Julius Debrah faces the wrath of Asanteman.