Drama unfolded at the revered shrine of Antoa when Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), crossed paths with Nana Kwaku Duah, the Kokosohene. The Kokosohene accused Chairman Wontumi of disrespecting the highly esteemed Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
According to the Kokosohene, Chairman Wontumi had allegedly claimed to possess his own kingdom and dared to challenge the authority of the Asantehene if he disagreed with any of his decisions or statements.
In response to these accusations, Chairman Wontumi clarified his statement during a discussion with the caretakers of the Antoa Shrine. He explained that when he mentioned having his own kingdom, he was referring to a political realm rather than a literal one.
Furthermore, Chairman Wontumi vehemently denied the claim that he had expressed intentions to challenge the Otumfuo.
He clarified that the part of his statement in question was directed towards Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, also known as NAPO, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South and Minister of Energy.
“I didn’t even think of it (disrespecting the Asantehene)… It is not true. I mentioned a name. I said do you think I’m afraid of NAPO. I mentioned a name.
“Nananom, with all due respect, it was NAPO, the MP, who had arrived and I said ‘Do you think I’m afraid of him? Why are you being hypocritical? Do you think I’m afraid of him? Why should I praise him when he has done nothing for me? Why should I speak about him with fear,’” he said in Twi, in an audio recording of what transpired when the two men met at the Antoa Shrine.
The audio clip was shared by Kumasi-based Oheneba Media.
The Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman, Wontumi, added, “It was him (the Kokosohene) who mentioned the name of his majesty and I said ‘Eiii what problem are you trying to cause’. Within one minute of my saying this, this woman – the NPP woman’s organizer, said ‘I was speaking about a political kingdom’… I was referring to NAPO.”
But Nana Kwaku Duah insisted that Wontumi’s derogatory remarks were directed at Otumfuo, saying, “He said it, I was sitting by him”.
Wontumi is said to have cursed the Kokosohene and his family by invoking the Antoa deity after the chief allegedly wrongly accused him of making derogatory remarks against the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The Asanteman Tradition Council, while settling the matter, directed that the two men present themselves at the shrine of the deity for arbitration and rituals to release them from the deity’s oath.
The conflicting narratives presented at the sacred place prompted the caretakers of the Antoa Shrine to direct them back to Manhyia for a proper resolution.
The Asanteman Traditional Council recently cleared Wontumi of these allegations, but the curse placed on the Kokosohene remains unresolved until a comprehensive settlement is reached at Manhyia.
