The campaign team of Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has defended his decision to swear in newly elected constituency executives, saying he acted within the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) election rules and did not defy the party’s national leadership.

In a statement issued on Thursday (16 July), the Wontumi Campaign Secretariat said attempts to portray the regional chairman as having undermined the party following the annulment of constituency executive elections in some Ashanti Region constituencies were “inaccurate” and ignored the facts surrounding the process.

The statement follows the NPP National Steering Committee’s decision to invalidate elections in Bantama, Afigya Sekyere East and Adansi Asokwa, citing what it described as a “flagrant disregard” for party directives and rules.

According to the secretariat, the constituency executive elections were conducted under the party’s approved election framework, with the Electoral Commission overseeing the process and constituency election committees comprising national and regional representatives supervising the polls.

It said Wontumi administered the oath of office only after the elections had been completed and results declared, adding that no decision annulling or suspending the elections had been communicated to him at the time.

“That act was not an attempt to undermine the National Party. It was an administrative consequence of an electoral process that had already taken place,” the statement said.

The secretariat questioned the legal basis for the National Steering Committee’s decision, asking which provisions of the party’s constitution or election regulations empowered it to annul completed constituency elections.

It also called on the party leadership to disclose the findings made against each affected constituency, the evidence supporting claims that party directives or court orders had been breached, and whether affected officials were given an opportunity to respond before the announcement was made.

The statement further sought clarification on whether any court injunctions influenced the decision and, if so, when such information was formally communicated to the Ashanti Regional leadership.

While reaffirming Wontumi’s loyalty to the NPP, the campaign secretariat said he remained committed to all lawful decisions taken through the party’s established structures but maintained that major decisions should be guided by transparency, constitutional authority and procedural fairness.

It urged party members to avoid inflammatory public commentary and allow internal constitutional processes to address the dispute.

The statement is the latest intervention following the party’s decision to annul the constituency executive elections in three Ashanti Region constituencies, a move that has sparked opposition from some party members who argue the decision exceeded the National Steering Committee’s constitutional powers.