Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has announced that New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament will abandon parliamentary duties to stand in solidarity with their colleague, Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, May 30, Afenyo-Markin said the NPP caucus will camp at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) until Wontumi is released.
His statement follows EOCO’s decision to detain the party official after he failed to meet a bail condition of GHS50 million with two sureties.
“Until EOCO does the right thing, we on the NPP side will protest by absenting ourselves from Parliament and joining him. We are all going to sleep there with him,” Afenyo-Markin declared.
Wontumi was arrested on May 27 in connection with alleged financial irregularities involving EXIMBANK. His legal team has since challenged the bail terms, describing them as overly harsh and unreasonable.
Afenyo-Markin echoed those concerns, questioning the practicality of the financial requirement. “We don’t have GHS50 million worth of properties. Where is he going to get it from?” he asked.
He was quick to clarify that their actions are not meant to hinder legal proceedings but to demand fair treatment. “Do your work but respect the law,” he added.
Minority MPs in Parliament are currently sitting on the bare floor at the entrance of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra in protest of what they describe as harsh and unjust bail conditions imposed on Chairman Wontumi.
The protest marks a significant escalation in the political standoff over Wontumi’s detention and adds pressure on EOCO to reconsider the bail terms.
