'Bawumia Must Win' chant lands Wontumi in trouble

A group calling itself NPP Patriotic Frontliners has condemned the Ashanti regional chairman of the NPP, Mr Bernard Antwi-Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, for openly endorsing Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in the party's flagbearer race.

The NPP has cautioned all party executives to desist from such open endorsements until nominations are opened.

However, in a viral video making rounds on various traditional and social media platforms, Chairman Wontumi is seen chanting: "Bawumia Must Win (BMW)".

He declared this support at a dinner meeting with all the party's constituency chairmen and some selected MPs in the Ashanti Region in Kumasi on Friday, 30 December 2022.

Reacting to this development, NPP Patriotic Frontliners, in a statement, said: “We write to condemn this action by our regional chairman in no uncertain terms".

"This very bizarre conduct of the regional chairman doesn’t come to us as a surprise because Chairman Wontumi has, on countless occasions, openly declared his support for Dr Bawumia and continues to work for his presidential ambition".

"He has blatantly defied and disrespected the General Secretary, Mr Justin Kodua Frimpong, in his attempt to bring the unfortunate conduct of Chairman Wontumi under control.”

The group noted: “This is also yet another evidence of the many underground campaign activities of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in meeting delegates across the country to advance his presidential ambition ahead of other competent candidates and in blatant abuse of office and an affront to the guiding principles covering the conduct of the NPP Presidential Elections.”

The group indicated that they want to bring the attention of the leadership of the party to this development.

They are calling on Chairman Wontumi to step down as the Regional Chairman of the Party “as he has lost every opportunity to serve as an independent arbiter in the upcoming Presidential Primaries of the NPP before our next action.”