A video that captures Bernard Antwi Boasiako (alias Chairman Wontumi), the Ashanti Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party, referencing John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) instead of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP has gone viral on social media.
Chairman Wontumi was on Kumasi-based Kessben TV to whip up interest in the campaign of the NPP and get residents of the region to vote massively for Dr. Bawumia and the NPP as they target a historic 85% of votes in the December 7 election.
During the interview, Wontumi made efforts to sell the NPP ticket of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the best for Asantes and portrayed Mahama as ‘an enemy of the Ashanti Region.’
Unfortunately for Wontumi, in one of the instances where he was trying to mention Dr. Bawumia as the ideal candidate for the Ashanti Region, he mistakenly mentioned John Dramani Mahama, and that has become the talking point of the interview that lasted more than one hour and thirty minutes.
Wontumi, in the viral video, said, “We are pleading with you all to vote for John Dramani ….”
Wontumi is the second high-profile NPP member to suffer a speech gaffe this year after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo mistakenly mentioned John Mahama as his vice instead of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was forced to ‘retract’ a statement he made at the launch of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), a nationwide initiative to improve road conditions in all 275 constituencies.
The president, as he was touting the performance of his government in the road sector, mistakenly mentioned former President John Dramani Mahama instead of his vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
“We’ve witnessed an extraordinary expansion and improvement in our road network throughout the country. From 2009 to 2016, that is the Mills-Mahama era, our nation completed 4,636 roads and five interchanges and overpasses. However, since January 2017 till date, i.e. the Akufo-Addo-Mahama era,” he said.
The president tried correcting his mistake, but before then, many in the audience reacted with an “Eiiii.”
The president could be seen covering his mouth, after which he said:
“That’s unforgivable. That’s unforgivable. I hope you will allow me to withdraw that statement; The Akufo-Addo-Bawumia era.”
