The governing New Patriotic Party is demanding the immediate arrest of publishers behind the controversial ‘Agyapadie’ document.
According to a Deputy Director of Communications for the party, Ernest Owusu Bempah, the document which is filled with falsehoods is part of a broader effort to undermine the NPP government.
In a press statement, Owusu Bempah condemned the Agyapadie document as a tool of misinformation, designed to tarnish the reputation of the NPP and discredit its leadership. He argued that the document’s baseless accusations are politically motivated and harmful to the nation’s democratic process and stability.
He also added that the dissemination of the document constitutes a criminal offence, as it aims to incite public unrest and damage the government’s image without any factual basis. He called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, to take immediate action to identify and apprehend those behind the publication.
“The 1960 Criminal Offenses Act 1960 (Act 29) specifies that any false publication that has the tendency to cause public unrest is a misdemeanour. It adds that ignorance of the falsehood of the publication is not a defence unless the person proves reasonable measures that were taken to verify the content prior to its publication. The sender or forwarder of any false communication is without any excuse even if the person was not the originator of the message.”
“The Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, as a matter of urgency must arrest the the people behind the publication of this fictional document and bring them to face the full rigours of the law.”
Mr Bempah also criticized the NDC for peddling falsehoods.
“It is alleged that key players in the NDC, the likes of Dr Omane Boamah, Okudzeto Ablakwa, Abraham Amaliba and Edudzi Tamakloe have a thing to do with the document. The publishers of the Awake News and their collaborators have developed a penchant for the publication of fake news because they always get away with it regardless of the magnitude of such evil lies they peddle.”
“As a country, we cannot look on for the NDC to always peddle brazen and wicked falsehood and later turn around to say this is politics. On this current issue, the publishers of the Awake news must be subjected to the full rigours of the law to deter them from hiding behind social media to create confusion in the system.”
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
