Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and former NPP Volta Regional Chairman, John-Peter Amewu, has expressed solidarity with the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, following his conviction and sentencing on illegal mining related charges.
In a statement issued on July 22, 2026, Amewu said he received the news of Wontumi’s conviction and custodial sentence “with deep shock and profound concern,” while stressing his respect for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
“Ghana’s democracy can only survive when all persons, regardless of political standing, remain subject to the law,” he said, adding that respect for the law also includes the right to raise concerns where a sentence “appears severe, shocking, or capable of raising legitimate questions about proportionality, fairness, and the broader administration of justice.”
Amewu described Wontumi not just as a political colleague but as someone he worked closely with in rebuilding the NPP after its 2008 election defeat, recalling their joint efforts to reorganize and mobilize the party ahead of the 2016 elections while he served as NPP Regional Chairman in the Volta Region.
“Those were difficult years for the party, and many of us gave our time, energy, resources, and commitment to bring the NPP back to power through constitutional and democratic means,” he said, noting that it was against this personal and political background that he was expressing solidarity with Wontumi and his family.
While reaffirming that illegal mining, or galamsey, remains “one of the most serious environmental and governance challenges” facing Ghana and that no patriotic citizen could support the destruction of rivers, forests and farmlands, Amewu argued that the fight against the practice must be pursued in a manner that preserves “justice, proportionality, due process, and public confidence in the legal system.”
He described Wontumi’s sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour as “a matter of grave national concern,” saying it raises broader questions about how Ghana balances environmental protection, criminal accountability, judicial discretion, political neutrality and humane justice.
Amewu said he welcomed the decision to pursue an appeal, noting that appellate courts exist to review questions of law, proportionality and sentencing discretion. He called on NPP members, sympathizers and concerned citizens to remain calm, disciplined and respectful of the judicial process while the matter proceeds through the courts.
He stressed that his solidarity with Wontumi was “not a rejection of the rule of law,” but a call for the law “to operate fully, fairly, transparently, and proportionately.”
The former minister extended his prayers and support to Wontumi, his family, his colleagues in the Ashanti Region, and the wider NPP family, while urging Ghanaians to reflect on the state of the country’s justice system and democracy.