Pope Yao Yevoo and Emmanuel Quarshie both of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) have filed a GHC1 million defamation suit against the Volta regional organiser of the party, Korsi Bodja for defamation following the recent Assin North by-election.
The writ seen by Asaase News claimed that the plaintiffs were NPP campaigners assigned to Ewe communities in the Assin North constituency ahead of the 27 June by-election.
The plaintiffs said they executed their responsibilities in Assin North diligently and faithfully devoid of misconduct or anything that will damage their personality and that of the NPP.
However, the plaintiffs said they had “a shock of their lives” when they received WhatsApp conversation by the defendant that, they (plaintiffs) have diverted campaign materials meant to be distributed to Ewe constituents in the Assin North constituency.
Yevoo and Quarshie said media outlets further published the allegations based on a petition written by the defendant, Bodja.
Allegation of theft
The defendant in the petition addressed to the party’s national secretary demanded for suspension of the plaintiffs for allegedly diverting party items such as “hairdryers, cutlasses, Wellington boots, head pans, fertilizers, and sewing machines”.
“If the Volta regional secretary is able to oversee the stealing of campaign materials far away in Assin North to his home region, what will he not do if he gets hold of same materials in his home region?” Bodja was quoted in a publication in the Hawk newspaper dated 25 June 2023.
The plaintiffs said Bodja’s statements are “false and malicious” with intentions to “naturally and ordinarily understood by right-thinking members of the society to that the plaintiffs are fraudulent and thieves, persons who cannot be trusted”.
They said that their “…reputation have been seriously injured and or damaged and have suffered considerable distress and embarrassment”, adding that Bodja’s behaviour further “drastically reduced their reputation into discredit, contempt and reproach”.
The plaintiffs prayed the court as follows:
a. Declaration that the statements and words which were made and published by the defendant… are defamatory of the plaintiffs’ character.
b. Damages for defamation in the sum of one million Ghana cedis (GHC1,000,000).
c. An order directed at the defendant to retract the defamatory statements/publications made against the Plaintiffs and publish the retraction with the same equal prominence.
d. An injunction restraining the defendant from further saying and or publishing defamatory statements about the Plaintiffs.
The defendant is yet to respond to the suit.
Reporting by Albert Kuzor in the Volta region
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