Chairman Wontumi
The Kumasi Traditional Council (KTC) yesterday cleared the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi of any insulting remarks made about the Asantehene during the NPP’s parliamentary vetting process.
The Kokosohene, Nana Kwaku Duah, who is the Chairman of the NPP Manhyia South Council of Elders, made the claims against Wontumi.
During a confrontation with the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, the chief accused Wontumi of insulting the Asantehene and lodged a complaint before the KTC.
The KTC, led by Bantamahene, Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI, on Monday cleared Chairman Wontumi of any wrongdoing when he finally appeared before the chiefs in the company of the party’s National Chairman, Stephen Ntim, General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, and Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng.
This was after he had denied all allegations levelled against him by the Kokosohene, Nana Kwaku Duah.
According to Wontumi, the allegations were not only untrue, but malicious, and did not accurately reflect what happened during the vetting process.
However, the Bantamahene warned Chairman Wontumi to be cautious about his public statements and asked him to reverse the curse placed on the Kokoso chief and his family.
The Council, however, cautioned Wontumi and other political figures to be mindful of their utterances in the public domain and to refrain from dragging the chieftaincy institution into their political affairs.
“Be mindful of your utterances. People are watching you. We don’t want anyone to discuss this issue again. Everyone should cease fire,” Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI stated.
He also rebuked the Kokoso chief for indulging in active partisan politics, urging him to choose between being a chief and a politician.
“As a chief you are to remain neutral so that all the political parties can approach you with their issues,” he noted and added that if the Kokosohene had not attended the NPP vetting “this whole brouhaha wouldn’t have happened in the first place. So quit partisan politics.”
Bantamahene also admonished politicians to give maximum respect to traditional leaders, reminding them that chiefs play important roles in the country.
Antoa Date
Meanwhile, credible sources at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi said the chiefs have fixed this coming Thursday as the day for Wontumi’s curse on the Kokosohene to be revoked.
According to them, some chiefs have been selected to accompany Wontumi and the Kokosohene to the ‘Antoa Nyamaa’ river for the necessary rites to be performed in order to revoke the curse.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi