I applaud the Supreme Court for putting the iron fist on me - Atubiga
Stephen Atubiga, the member of the communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who was sentenced to three days’ imprisonment by the Supreme Court for contempt, yesterday regained his freedom after serving the jail term at the Akuse Prison.
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An elated Atubiga, spotting a black suit, with a pair of black shoes to match, raised his hands and made some gestures when prison officers opened the prison gates for him to exit at exactly 10 a.m.
Beaming with joy and excitement, Atubiga met dozens of family members and friends who were at the precincts of the prison to welcome him.
As he hugged and shook hands with those around, he said: “Thank God! I am glad I am out. I am in high spirits to meet my friends and relatives again.”
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Graphic, Atubiga said: “I bear no grudge against the panel of judges who reprimanded me for my folly.”
He said the action of the judges had prevented the country from being plunged into post-election violence.
He said his love and admiration for the bench had increased after his incarceration, saying, “I really applaud them for putting that iron fist on me. If I have the opportunity, I will go back to the Supreme Court and thank the judges.”
According to Atubiga, he was glad that the sentence would serve as a caution to journalists, politicians and the public at large who used what he described as “rotten language to undermine the authority of the bench.”
“I have been used as a sacrificial lamb to sanitise the place. Sometimes you pay the price to sanitise the system.
“I have no regrets for going to jail because Mother Ghana has benefitted. I reaped what I sowed and my negative attitude has actually benefitted the country,” he added.
Commenting on lessons from prison, Atubiga said he would soon embark on public education programmes to sensitise the public to respect authority at all levels and also respect the verdict of the Supreme Court in the ongoing election petition.
On why he did not break down when the sentence was handed down to him, he said psychologists and lawyers had given him the options “and the need to hold myself in case a jail sentence became the option”.
He used the occasion to thank the prison officers and the inmates for their respect and co-operation, “which made life a bit bearable for me in incarceration”.
By Timothy Gobah
