God Will Use Me to Provide Jobs: Chairman Wontumi Wooing TESCON with Employment Pledges | Discuss Ghana

In a characteristically bold and highly strategic campaign move, the aspiring National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako (popularly known as Chairman Wontumi), has promised sweeping employment opportunities for tertiary students if they back his leadership bid.

Addressing members of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) and students at the University of Ghana Business School yesterday, Saturday, May 16, 2026, Wontumi sought to directly leverage the youth’s deepest concern—unemployment—to anchor his internal campaign.

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The Grand Employment Covenant

As the NPP prepares for its high-stakes internal leadership contests ahead of the 2028 general elections, Wontumi framed his potential national chairmanship as a direct pipeline to state-backed economic relief.

The Vision for 2028: Pitching a tandem leadership between himself at the party level and the Vice President as the state leader, Wontumi stated: "This is what I have to say. If you make me the National Chairman and Dr. Bawumia becomes the president in 2028, God will use me to create jobs in this country."

Extending to Relatives: Going a step further to capture the wider domestic worries of the students, he assured them that the benefits would trickle directly down to their households: "All your relatives who graduated and are also looking for jobs to do, they will also get work to do because of you."

Tackling Graduate Anxiety: Wontumi explicitly acknowledged that graduate unemployment remains one of the most critical structural anxieties facing Ghanaian youth, arguing that a revamped NPP organizational machinery under his supervision would prioritize securing jobs for the party's student base.

Pushing Back Against Presidential Staffer Backlash

The campus rally comes at an incredibly intense moment for the Wontumi Campaign. While he is on the ground mobilizing the grassroots, his communication directorate has had to launch a fierce defensive shield against friendly fire from within the presidency.

The UTV Sparring: The campaign team issued a strong statement condemning recent remarks by Presidential Staffer Rosemond Obeng, who reportedly suggested on UTV that "no serious political party would allow someone with active court cases to contest for chairmanship."

The Historical Defense: Pushing back heavily against the critique, Wontumi's camp labeled her remarks as "politically inexperienced." They pointed to massive historical precedents to prove that legal battles do not disqualify major leaders:

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who won elections from a colonial prison cell in 1951.

Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, who went from a military court-martial in May 1979 to leading the country.

Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson (the current Finance Minister), who navigated a high-profile ambulance procurement trial before his eventual acquittal in July 2024.

The Perseverance Pitch: The campaign argued that legal battles are simply part of the "intensity of political resistance" faced by truly influential political actors, reaffirming that Wontumi remains structurally and legally cleared to run.