In the heart of Ghana’s democracy, the Ashanti region has consistently upheld the values of freedom, justice, and political participation. Yet, we are confronted with a chilling reminder that the NDC have neither outgrown their disdain for Ashantis.
The unlawful detention of Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is not an isolated incident. It is part of a deeply troubling pattern that stretches back decades. This pattern has been historically woven by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) through intimidation, persecution, and calculated attempts to break the spirit of the Ashanti people, simply because they refuse to bow to NDC dominance.
Let the record reflect:
In 1992, when the NDC assumed power under the guise of democratic transition, it was the Ashanti Region that bore the brunt of electoral violence, vote suppression, and military harassment. Communities were invaded, and citizens were brutalized simply for showing loyalty to the NPP.
Economic sabotage and politically motivated harassment targeted several known Ashanti businessmen and women who supported the NPP in 1996. State institutions were weaponised to silence and impoverish the Ashantis and, by extension, the Akans.
Fast forward to 2008, the NDC, returning to power, resumed its subtle and overt tactics to marginalise the Ashanti Region, neglecting critical infrastructure, sidelining development, and targeting pro-NPP individuals for bureaucratic frustrations.
Now, in 2025, the script is disturbingly familiar. The arbitrary and politically motivated detention of Chairman Wontumi is not just an attack on one man; it is an attack on the entire Ashanti people and its proud tradition of political freedom and loyalty to democratic values. There is no convincingly legal basis to justify the Chairman Wontumi’s detention. The procedure has not been transparent. The result is a flagrant abuse of power and a clear attempt to provoke fear and suppress political momentum in a region the NDC has always sought to dominate through intimidation and harassment.
We must ask: Why is it always the Ashanti Region, the Ashantis, and the Akans that face this hostility when the NDC is in power? Is it because the region remains a stronghold of resistance against tyranny? Is it because the people of Ashanti dare to vote for the NDC and speak freely? The history of the NDC indicates a profound animosity towards the Ashantis, and the recent detention demonstrates the persistence of long-standing customs.
Ghanaians must not sit idly. Civil society, the clergy, traditional leaders, and international observers must rise and condemn this political intimidation. Today it is the NPP Chairman in the Ashanti Region. Tomorrow, it could be any successful Ashanti businessperson.
Ashantis should not be intimidated. We respectfully call on His Royal Majesty to come to the rescue of his people from the barbaric leadership of the NDC. We pray upon His Majesty to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Chairman Wontumi.
And to the NDC: history may have been forgiving, but the people have not forgotten. The Ashanti spirit cannot be caged, detained, or silenced. Not now. Not ever.
By William Yamoah, NPP Director of Finance and Administration
