In what looked like a Hollywood movie scene, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, (NPP) Bernard Antwi Boasiako last Sunday shamefully assaulted the Member of Parliament for the Manhyia North Constituency, Hon Collins Owusu Amankwah.
In the full glare of the public at a registration center called Fordwuor House in Krofrom, the regional chairman who is widely referred to as Wontumi dished out a hefty slap to the legislator after accusing the latter of flouting his orders.
This, was after the unruly Chairman accompanied by his private bodyguards numbering about 15 had pounced on the hapless constituency secretary, Felix Ibrahim and beaten him to pulp for assisting the legislator to flout his orders in replacing agents he had assigned to that particular polling station.
CONFIRMATION:
Credible sources at the scene where the despicable incident took place told the Ghanaian Observer Newspaper that despite the attack on his person, Hon Amankwah never uttered a word but rather took a microphone and calmed the incensed party agents who had by then threatened a boycott of the limited registration exercise to come back and work.
The source noted the law maker and incumbent MP had held his hands at his back while the maverick regional chairman walked to him to assault him.
He, according to our source without any provocation slapped the legislator and immediately but shamefully walked to his car after the incident and sped off amidst hooting from the crowd that had gathered
BACKGROUND:
Last week, based upon an agreement the regional executives led by the party chair had reached with the incumbent MP, some persons were recommended to partner others the MP had also suggested to man the polling stations in the Manhyia North for the limited registration exercise by the Electoral Commission.
But, strangely amazing the agents the regional chairman chose from the Manhyia- South Constituency to man the polling stations with Hon Amankwah’s men were allegedly demanding monies from NDC party executives who used to come around during the exercise.
Finding this occurrence odd for a serious party as the NPP who has its eyes on the ball for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in November, one agent assigned from the MP’s camp accosted the regional party assign and told him that the practice of collecting monies from their opponents camp was bad.
However, the agent who felt he was disgraced by the MP’s man went to tell a different story that he had been assaulted and his material given him to observe the exercise had been torn by some agents of the MP.
Obviously incensed by this half-truth story and without crosschecking, Wontumi decided to storm the registration ground the following day to inquire why that happened and it was during this inquisition the Chairman is alleged to have violently accosted both the constituency secretary and the MP despite the presence of the three armed Policemen at the polling station
REACTONS:
In a reluctant interview, Hon Collins Owusu Amankwah called for calm and urged party members to work for the party as they allow the law to take its course regarding what transpired between him and the Chairman.
He, however, confirmed the assault on his person but declined upon several persuasions his next line of action on the matter.
He said ‘as a law maker you do not talk about things hastily in public and thereby make your intentions known to everyone ‘.
Meanwhile, Opoku Mensah, an aide to the regional chairman in a radio interview has rather exacerbated the alleged assault by insisting that Chairman Wontumi only ‘disciplined’ the constituency secretary and the incumbent MP.
Opoku Mensah, until his current appointment by the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman was once the Ashanti Regional Chairman for the nearly defunct National Reform Party, (NRP) which was founded by the famous Obed Yao Asamoah, Ghana’s former Minister for Foreign Affairs.
