Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, has sharply criticised the Minority caucus in Parliament for their swift return to parliamentary business following a walkout protesting the continued detention of Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

On Thursday, May 29, several Minority MPs marched from Parliament to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) headquarters in Accra, demanding the immediate release of Wontumi, who is under investigation for alleged financial irregularities involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank).

The demonstration caused traffic disruptions and prompted a heavy police presence.

Chairman Wontumi, was arrested on Tuesday, May 27, by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. He was picked up by EOCO after he was released by the CID.

Although EOCO granted him bail of GHS50 million on Wednesday, May 28, the bail conditions, which require two justified sureties, have yet to be fulfilled.

Despite the protest, the Minority MPs returned to Parliament the next day, Friday, May 30, effectively ending their boycott.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament that same day, Adongo mocked the Minority MPs for abandoning Wontumi after publicly championing his cause.

“I think Wontumi will be very sad that you are here [Parliament] talking. He was expecting you to sleep at EOCO with him. You abandoned him to sleep there, and you promised the people of Ghana that you abandoned this chamber; you are here making a lot of arguments.”

He added, “You people should tell Wontumi that his people are deceiving him. He’s sleeping there alone, and you are here arguing for more holidays. We were surprised when they were sitting on the ground there, but when we went there at 7 pm, they had disappeared.”

Meanwhile, the 2024 flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is reported to have led efforts to meet the bail conditions for Wontumi.