'Mahama asked me to support him in 2013 with my money, intelligence but I declined' – Wontumi

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Bernard Anwti Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), has said former President John Mahama in 2013 invited him over for a meeting in Tamale at which he asked that he (Wontumi) supports him and the National Democratic Congress with his money and smartness.

Wontumi, however, said he rejected Mr. Mahama’s proposal because being a member of the NPP, to him, was like being an adherent of a religious sect.

Chairman Wontumi told Paul Adom-Otchere on Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana programme on Thursday, 6 February 2020 that during his meeting with Mr Mahama, “President Mahama said to me that: ‘Young man, you are too intelligent and, so, come to the NDC to support me’”.

According to Mr Wontumi, it was “normal for a politician to tell a businessman to say: ‘Come and support me’ but I said to him that: ‘I see politics as a religion and given the place I come from, even if you have money and power and you don’t belong to NPP, it is very dangerous, so, I told him, ‘Mr President, I don’t want to’”.

“I will never lie and Mahama knows this”, he told Paul Adom-Otchere, adding: “I went there with the now-Bosomtwi NPP Chairman at the Regional Minister’s residence.”