Minority walks out of Parliament over Wontumi’s detention, Afenyo-Markin slams EOCO

• Posted on May 29, 2025May 29, 2025
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Members of the Minority Caucus in Parliament staged a dramatic walkout on Thursday, May 30, in protest against the continued detention of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

Leading the protest, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin delivered a passionate address on the floor of Parliament, accusing the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) of unfair treatment and warning of long-term political repercussions.

“Do your work but respect the law,” Afenyo-Markin said. “There are many people who have appeared before investigative agencies and they are treated with dignity. But the way we are treating ourselves, it will come back and haunt us in 2029. Let’s be careful.”

Chairman Wontumi has been in EOCO custody since Tuesday, May 27, over an ongoing probe into alleged financial irregularities involving EXIMBANK. EOCO granted him bail with strict conditions—GHS50 million and two sureties—which his legal team has so far been unable to meet.

The Minority Leader questioned the fairness of the bail conditions, describing them as excessive and unrealistic. “We don’t have GHS50 million worth of properties. Where is he going to get it from?” he asked.

Afenyo-Markin vowed continued solidarity with Wontumi, declaring, “Until EOCO does the right thing, we on the NPP side will protest by absenting ourselves from Parliament and joining him. We are all going to sleep there with him.”

He emphasized that the walkout was not intended to obstruct justice but to demand fairness and consistency in the treatment of citizens under the law. “I pray that my colleagues will support this so that with one voice, EOCO will know that when it got to this matter of Chairman Wontumi, Parliament was united,” he concluded.