Accra: An old interview featuring Kennedy Agyapong, a former Member of Parliament for Assin Central and a New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful, has resurfaced amid the recent sentencing of the party's Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi. In the interview, Agyapong voiced his disappointment over the perceived lack of support from NPP members during Wontumi's legal challenges.
According to Ghana Web, Agyapong highlighted the contrast between the solidarity shown by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the trial of their Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, and the apparent absence of support for Wontumi from within the NPP. He lamented that some party members celebrated Wontumi's arrest instead of rallying behind him.
"I am disappointed in the NPP over our attitude. When issues arise in the party, we cannot come together. Instead, we allow our personal differences to complicate matters and that won't help us. The NDC succeeds because of unity," Agyapong remarked, emphasizing the need for unity within the party.
He further warned, "It won't help us. We need unity in the party and must show solidarity. If we in the NPP don't change this attitude and become one, we could remain in opposition for a long time."
The interview has gained renewed attention following Chairman Wontumi's sentencing to 20 years' imprisonment by the Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court. Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, who delivered the judgment on July 20, 2026, ordered that the prison terms run concurrently and fined Wontumi 10,000 penalty units on each of the six charges against him.
Akonta Mining Limited, also implicated in the case, was fined 15,000 penalty units on each of two counts. The convictions were secured under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended, for illegal mining-related offences. The prosecution argued that Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Limited, and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, facilitated unauthorized mining activities on the company's concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The case has sparked discussions about intra-party solidarity and unity within the NPP, with Agyapong's remarks serving as a poignant reminder of the challenges faced by the party amid internal conflicts.