Mustapha Gbande, the Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, has dropped a bombshell regarding the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Wontumi.
According to Mustapha Gbande, Chairman Wontumi’s own party leaders are behind his trial, adding that there is no political persecution by the ruling government.
The NDC man revealed that some NPP officials have been leaking information to the NDC government to facilitate the prosecution of Wontumi.
Speaking in an interview on Okay FM on October 20, 2025, Mustapha Gbande stated, “As for Chairman Wontumi’s trial, his own party leaders are behind it. Wontumi has not had any fight with NDC members. We all saw how the NPP held a press conference and told Ghanaians that all the road contracts awarded to Wontumi in the Ashanti Region were not executed.
“So, what sin has the NDC committed?” he asked.
He added, “When Wontumi went for a loan to farm maize, was any NDC member there? When he went for Akonta Mining to mine on river bodies, was I there? It is because he was enjoying the proceeds alone and neglecting others that is why all these issues came up. Some people with presidential ambitions are even part of those leaking information because they feel he has acquired wealth and is using it to support other candidate.”
“For us, we are ready to receive all the information. When they bring the evidence, we will take it.”
Meanwhile, Chairman Wontumi was released from police custody some weeks ago after three nights.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) released comes after he fulfilled bail conditions amounting to GH₵25 million imposed across two separate illegal mining cases.Wontumi, on Tuesday, October 7, was granted a ₵25 million bail by the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court in connection with two separate cases relating to alleged illegal mining.
Chairman Wontumi and the Operations Manager of Akonta Mining Company Limited were granted bail in the sum of GHC10 million with two sureties.
The two sureties, one must be justified with proof of landed property.
Wontumi and Akonta Mining have been accused of destroying 13 hectares of land in the Tano Nimiri forest.
The NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman pleaded not guilty to all seven charges levelled against him.
In another case, Chairman Wontumi was slapped with seven fresh charges, which stem from his alleged mining in Tano Nimire Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
The charges come barely after he appeared in a separate case.
In this case, Wontumi and four others associated with his Akonta Mining Company Limited are facing the accusations of unlawfully engaging in mining operations, environmental destruction.
Additionally, the Accra High Court has granted Wontumi a ₵15 million bail with three sureties in a separate case.
The Accra High Court gave the prosecution three weeks to file disclosures.
Wontumi’s next court hearing is scheduled for October 28, 2025.
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