Chairman of the National Executives Elections Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Frederick Opare Ansah, says he has not received any official communication confirming the reported withdrawal of former Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, from the party’s National Chairmanship race.

Reports circulating on social media suggest that Mr Boasiako, who is currently incarcerated, has decided to withdraw from the contest ahead of the filing deadline on Thursday.

However, speaking to Adom News, Mr Opare Ansah said the Elections Committee had not received any formal notification from the candidate or his campaign.

He explained that he had only seen reports of the alleged withdrawal on social media and, as of now, none of the candidates had officially written to the Committee to communicate a decision to withdraw from the race.

Mr Opare Ansah said candidates who intend to withdraw are expected to formally notify the Elections Committee rather than rely on social media announcements.

He described the failure to officially communicate such decisions to the Committee as inappropriate and expressed hope that the proper procedure would be followed.

The Elections Committee Chairman also defended the decision to provide nomination forms to Mr Boasiako despite his current incarceration.

According to him, the Elections Committee is responsible for administering the electoral process, while the Vetting Committee has the mandate to determine the eligibility of candidates and disqualify any aspirant who fails to meet the requirements.

He therefore explained that the issuance of forms to Mr Boasiako did not amount to a guarantee that he would be cleared to contest the election.