The Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Richard Asiedu, yesterday withdrew his defamation lawsuit against Obaatanpa Radio after rendering an unqualified apology to the station and the media following demands by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).
The move is part of efforts to ease concerns over press freedom and avoiding further disruption to media business operations.
Mr Asiedu announced the decision during a meeting with the leadership of the GJA at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra, where he also apologised to journalists across the country over the incident that led to the temporary closure of the Kasoa-based radio station.
The development followed a seven-day ultimatum issued by the GJA, which demanded that Mr Asiedu publicly apologise, withdraw his legal action, compensate the station for revenue lost during the shutdown and cooperate with police investigations into the incident.
Meeting
The GJA President, Albert Dwumfour, said the meeting followed discussions held after the association’s news conference last week, during which it outlined its demands and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting constitutional guarantees for media freedom.
He said the association had made itself available after receiving information that Mr Asiedu and his team wished to engage the leadership of the GJA.
“The association remains committed to defending press freedom while promoting responsible journalism, and we expect all stakeholders to respect the constitutional protections that safeguard media independence,” he said.
Mr Dwumfour said the Constitution guaranteed freedom of expression, editorial independence and media freedom, adding that those protections also safeguarded the rights of citizens to receive information and hold public officials accountable.
He added that while the GJA continued to encourage journalists to uphold professional standards and ethical practice, it would also continue to protect media practitioners against intimidation and unlawful interference.
Apology
Mr Asiedu admitted that the incident at Obaatanpa Radio had resulted in misunderstandings, and accepted responsibility as the regional party leader.
“I render an unqualified apology to Obaatanpa Radio and the media fraternity, and I withdraw the lawsuit in the interest of protecting press freedom,” he said.
He explained that his intention had been to engage the management of the station rather than disrupt its operations, but acknowledged that events had unfolded differently after management was unavailable.
Mr Asiedu also pledged to cooperate fully with the ongoing police investigation, and said he would make himself available whenever required by investigators.
He further appealed to media organisations to practise responsible journalism, while encouraging political actors to use lawful channels to seek redress over media content instead of confronting journalists directly.
Revenue loss
Addressing one of the GJA’s demands, Mr Asiedu said he was prepared to discuss compensation with Obaatanpa Radio if the station suffered financial losses during the disruption.
“If the station lost advertising income or any other revenue because of what happened, we are ready to engage management and resolve the matter,” he said.
The GJA had earlier argued that the temporary closure of the station disrupted normal broadcasting activities and affected its commercial operations, including advertising revenue.
The association also maintained its call for the police to conclude investigations into the incident and to prosecute anyone found to have participated in the alleged assault, intimidation and closure of the station.
The Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A Plus, commended Mr Asiedu for apologising, and urged other political office holders to admit wrongdoing and apologise whenever they were at fault.
