Hamza Suhuyini, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communications Team, has criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for using the legal issues surrounding its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, as a political tool to further individual ambitions rather than showing genuine solidarity.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, May 31, Suhuyini dismissed the protest by NPP Members of Parliament outside the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as a calculated move to score political points ahead of internal party contests. “They are just fishing for excuses to be able to ply their political ambitions around the whole issue of Wontumi,” he stated, emphasizing that many members are primarily focused on retaining their positions for re-election.
The comments come after a dramatic sit-in staged by NPP MPs on May 29 outside EOCO headquarters in Accra, where they demanded the release of Chairman Wontumi. Led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the MPs marched from Parliament to EOCO, occupying parts of the road and chanting for what they termed justice.
The protest drew a heavy police presence and caused significant traffic disruption. Protest leaders accused the state of political persecution and the misuse of state institutions to target political opponents. However, critics like Suhuyini argue that the demonstration was less about a principled defense of justice and more about appealing to party delegates ahead of NPP primaries.
Wontumi was initially arrested on May 27 by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in connection with alleged financial irregularities. He was later taken into custody by EOCO, which is investigating potential financial crimes, including fraud and money laundering. Although EOCO granted him bail on May 28, with conditions that his lawyers met, Wontumi remains in custody as of Saturday.
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