Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jr., has raised questions and mockingly highlighted the absence of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

Speaking on a panel discussion on Peace FM's Kokrokoo on January 26, 2024, Pratt took a mocking tone as he drew attention to the missing status of Chairman Wontumi, less than 24 hours before the scheduled January 27, 2024, election.

"Upon all that we are saying; in the Ashanti region, despite the crucial NPP primaries, their chairman is missing. My own friend Wontumi is missing," Pratt remarked during the discussion.

He further revealed that he had seen a photo of Wontumi on a sick bed, with reports suggesting serious illness, including speculations of typhoid and malaria.

"When you look at his condition on the sick bed, then his typhoid is very serious because looking at a crucial election like this, the chairman is missing,” Pratt added.

Meanwhile, Wontumi is expected to appear before the Kumasi Traditional Council on January 29, 2024, following a summons issued earlier in the week. The NPP Chairman faces accusations of making disrespectful comments aimed at undermining the authority of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

The Kumasi Traditional Council had initially summoned Wontumi for a hearing on January 22, but the NPP General Secretary reported that he was unable to appear due to illness. The summons and subsequent controversies surrounding Wontumi's appearance have added an extra layer of complexity to the already dynamic political landscape in the Ashanti Region.

Opemsuo Radio, an affiliate of the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Asantehene, has confirmed that Wontumi and others summoned by the Council will indeed appear on the specified date of January 29, 2024, putting an end to conflicting reports circulating in the media.