The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has warned the government, accusing it of engaging in politically motivated harassment following the dramatic arrest of the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

In a tense interview outside the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra, the party’s National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, described the arrest as a “Rambo-style” operation.

He vowed that the NPP would resist what he called “political harassment” of its members.

“We are law-abiding. We will cooperate fully with any investigative body,” he stated. “But what we will resist is any form of political harassment — and that is what we are witnessing.”

According to Nana Boakye, Chairman Wontumi had been invited by the CID to report on Tuesday and had complied.

However, just as he was about to leave, “almost about four pickups with men masked, armed to the teeth, dragged him into a pickup and brought him here.”

He stressed that the party still does not know what their regional chairman is being held for or the details of any investigation.

“We don’t know why he’s being held here. We don’t know what they are investigating him for,” he said, adding that even the party’s General Secretary and he were denied access when they visited the facility earlier.

The party claims this is not an isolated case, referencing a recent arrest involving an NPP supporter over a petition concerning the Chief Justice.

“Such a useless arrest,” Nana Boakye fumed. “Very uncalled for.”

He warned that these actions by the government were dragging Ghana back into what he called “the dark days,” where political opponents were intimidated and silenced.

“This is not why many Ghanaians voted for President Mahama,” he argued.

“If six months ago he had mounted a platform and said he would be arresting people with guns in this Rambo-style, no Ghanaian would have voted for him.”

When asked whether the protest and presence of NPP supporters at the CID headquarters could be influencing the authorities’ decision to detain Wontumi, Nana Boakye rejected the idea.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “Rather, I think that we need to show that support. We need to register our displeasure. The President must know.”

He concluded with a stark message: “We are all for accountability. But this kind of political victimisation is uncultured. We will resist it — fully.”

Chairman Wontumi’s arrest has sparked tensions in the party’s stronghold region, with party foot soldiers and officials massing outside the EOCO Head Office.