Underrate ‘hardworking’ Wontumi at your own peril – Yamoah Ponkoh warns NDC

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) will underrate the machinations of Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Chairman Wontumi at its own peril.

Former Municipal Chief Executive [MCE] for Ejisu/Juaben in the Ashanti Region, Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh who described him as a hardworking and operational chairman, observed that he is the caliber of Regional Chairman the NDC must emulate.

“When some of my colleagues in NDC underrate him I laugh because he has done it to me. I will never ever underrate him. When my time elapsed as Ejisu MCE and the President re-nominated me, Chairman Wontumi stood against it and ensured that I was not confirmed by the assembly”, he revealed on Kumasi-based Pure FM monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

The former National Health Insurance Regional Manager told Kwame Adinkra the host that Wontumi resolved he [Yamoah Ponkoh] was not going to be an MCE again and influenced the outcome of the confirmation using NDC structures among other machinations.

He cited the premature tenure of a former Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Kojo Bonsu as some of the undercuts of the NPP Regional Chairman calling on the party to consider adopting a strategy that can subdue him rather than claiming he is a spent force.

“I am therefore using this medium to beg the NDC not to take lightly claims he used money to influence the outcome of our parliamentary elections. Wontumi is really working and we need to be cautious. I don’t underrate that working and he is a person to fear. He will do anything if he vows to do it”. He warned.

According to him, the NPP has found a hardworking Chairman who knows the real rudiments of politics and is beating the opposition to both strategy and hard work.

Chairman Wontumi had claimed that he influenced the outcome of the NDC Parliamentary primaries with monies that were either paid directly to delegates or key persons within the NDC who subsequently handed these monies to delegates ahead of the primaries.



He further indicated that he played a role in Ras Mubarak’s defeat in the Kumbungu constituency.

“There are a lot of strategies that we have. Some of them require that you meet delegates, others demand that you meet some leaders and give them the money and they will distribute it to the right people. The Bible even says that money answers all things…In fact, the money works in politics so that is one strategy.

“As for the other strategies, I cannot say them on air. When you look at Ras Mubarak for instance, considering how loud he is, we decided to teach him a lesson. All that is in our hands and in our interest as well. When they were going to elect their national executives, we told them we wanted people we can work with."

"In politics, you must know the weakness of your opponent and take advantage of them and so you help them choose a candidate. This is something that we have done and so in 2020 Nana Addo will retain the seat.”