National Democratic Congress (NDC) member James Agbey has urged President John Dramani Mahama not to grant clemency to Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, warning that such a decision could trigger discontent among the party’s grassroots supporters.
In a public statement issued on Wednesday, July 29, Mr Agbey described recent calls for presidential mercy as premature and said they should not interfere with the judicial process.
His comments follow an appeal by Wontumi’s spokesperson, Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, who asked President Mahama to forgive the embattled NPP chairman over comments he allegedly made about the President and his family during the 2024 election campaign.
“I want to make an appeal and apologise to President Mahama if, at any stage, Wontumi went too far in the making of statements about his wife and children leading up to the 2024 elections. I ask him to show mercy and forgiveness,” Dr Boakye-Danquah said in an interview with Joy News.
Responding to the appeal, Mr Agbey dismissed the campaign for clemency as “complete tittle-tattle,” arguing that discussions about a presidential pardon were premature because Wontumi had not served a significant portion of his sentence.
According to him, although the NPP chairman could become eligible for clemency in the future, the issue should not be considered at this stage, particularly when the New Patriotic Party itself remained divided over whether to accept the court’s verdict or portray him as a political prisoner.
Mr Agbey also rejected suggestions that Wontumi should receive special consideration because of his political position.
“For God’s sake, it is not President Mahama who incarcerated Wontumi—the courts did,” he stated.
He maintained that any application for presidential clemency should be assessed in accordance with the same legal standards applied to all convicted persons, including serving the required portion of a sentence before becoming eligible for consideration.
Mr Agbey further argued that Wontumi “is not a political prisoner but a common criminal found culpable by a court of competent jurisdiction of engaging in criminal conduct,” adding that he “does not deserve sympathy, empathy and clemency for his galamsey-related crimes.”
He cautioned President Mahama against yielding to public pressure, warning that granting clemency could provoke a negative reaction from the NDC’s grassroots membership.
“President Mahama must not heed this call lest he will face the wrath of the grassroots membership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC),” he said.
Mr Agbey argued that many communities continue to suffer the environmental consequences of illegal mining and insisted that individuals convicted of such offences should face the full force of the law.
He noted that more than 120 people are currently serving prison sentences for illegal mining-related offences and said Chairman Wontumi should not be accorded preferential treatment.
Mr Agbey also cited previous administrations, noting that former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not grant pardons to several high-profile convicts despite public appeals. He urged President Mahama to adopt a similar approach and “not be stampeded to truncate the due process in the Wontumi case.”
