A law lecturer at the University of Ghana, Prof. Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, has slammed the Minority in Parliament for their dramatic protest against the continued detention of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
Chairman Wontumi was arrested on Tuesday, May 27, by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), following an earlier arrest by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
Although he was granted GHC50m bail on Wednesday, May 28—with conditions including two justified sureties, which his legal team confirmed were met by May 30—his release has been stalled due to a pending High Court application to review the bail terms.
On Thursday, May 29, Minority MPs staged a dramatic walkout from Parliament and marched to EOCO headquarters, where they sat on the ground to protest Wontumi’s continued detention. They argued that he should have been granted self-recognizance bail, given his public standing and perceived low flight risk.
However, Prof. Appiagyei-Atua, speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV, with Selorm Adonoo, on Saturday, May 31, described the protest as unnecessary and politically motivated.
“One would have expected that the NPP team would have followed the due process, and that is why I fault the steps they took—leaving Parliament to go and sit down on the floor at EOCO,” he said. “I think it was needless, just to create some drama and attention, which in the end could have led to lawlessness. Indeed, some lawlessness occurred, considering that a journalist was assaulted. The whole thing was overdramatised,” he asserted.
He further expressed disappointment that some of the protesting MPs, who are lawyers, appeared to disregard legal procedures and instead opted for public spectacle.
“Some of these MPs are lawyers, they know the rules, and I don’t know why this time they decided to choose this route, which creates the perception that they want to politicise the situation,” he criticised.
The ongoing case has stirred significant public interest and political tension. On Friday, May 30, NPP supporters blocked the road in front of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) in Accra after Wontumi was transferred there from EOCO.
A delegation of senior party officials, including the NPP’s 2024 flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on May 30, was unable to see Wontumi during a visit to the facility, further intensifying public scrutiny.
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