When the Gavel Speaks, Where Is the Choir That Once Sang for Wontumi?
After years of political dominance in Kumasi, Chairman Wontumi has faced the law. His rise and fall reveal how power attracts praise singers, but accountability endures for all who hold public office.
There came a moment in Ghanaian politics when the microphone grew so heavy that even the loudest voice could no longer shake Kumasi as before. For years, Chairman Wontumi stood as a towering presence on radio, at rallies and in the minds of loyalists, his name summoning applause or silence depending on the crowd. Then came the gavel, and suddenly the state reminded all public men of a simple truth: the microphone has an off button. The law now speaks through courts, not through crowds.
Wontumi’s story illustrates how power reshapes relationships overnight. When influential, every call was answered, every WhatsApp status watched, every old school tie revived from 1998. Titles piled up – Chairman, Boss, Oga, Messiah – and some even crowned him the greatest strategist Ghana had ever known. Yet the moment fortunes shifted, network problems surfaced, photographs vanished from status updates and the once‑familiar "my Chairman" turned into "the former Chairman." This shift exposed the fleeting nature of applause and the conditional nature of loyalty.
Hon. Fifi Kwetey’s use of the word sycophant captures the phenomenon precisely. Around power a distinct breed thrives – the professional praise singer who tells the politician only what keeps him close to the chair. He calls mistakes strategic, losses political maturity and danger an opportunity for greater leadership. Such worship is not love for the man but love for access to him; when the politician falls, the singers simply relocate, never falling with him.
The lesson for all who serve in public office is stark: applause is temporary, loyalty is not guaranteed, and power offers no immunity from accountability. No one is above the law, and history remembers far longer than any crowd. The tragedy would be if Ghana learned nothing from this episode, for today it may be Wontumi, tomorrow someone else. The real takeaway must focus not on one man but on every participant in public life who must keep friends who correct them before the courts do, and who must beware the man who claps the loudest when mistakes occur, for he may be protecting his own seat beside yours. As Sylvester Nti reminded us, while politicians forget, water does not.
