A member of the legal team of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), David Annan, has dared any legal luminary to cite aspects of the Constitution the government is violating regarding its decision to ban journalists of the Multimedia Group from covering state events.
He argued that the decision taken by the Ghana government and the NDC as a party was in their best interest because they have not had fair coverage on the Multimedia Group platforms over the years.
Speaking on an Accra-based radio network, Radio Gold on Thursday, Lawyer Annan said the move serves as a warning to other radio stations in the country.
“This is a word of caution to other radio stations like Citi FM, Peace FM, Hot FM, among others that it can happen to them,” lawyer Annan warned.
The Multimedia Group includes Joy FM, Asempa FM, Adom FM, Nhyra FM, Hitz, Luv FM and MultiTV with other affiliates across the country.
Lawyer Annan stated that Joy FM in particular has been at the forefront to run the government down with its weekend news analysis programme, Newsfile.
He alleged that the station has a policy to bar him from appearing on the show and does not understand why the editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide, Kweku Baako Jnr, who he described as “an NPP apologist”, is a regular panelist.
“I’m a personal victim of Joy FM. Kweku Baako is a constant panelist on Newsfile, an NPP apologist. Kweku Sakyi Addo [a former host of the show] also objected to my presence on Newsfile… Stan Dogbe [a former producer and now a presidential aide] is my witness. I know quite clearly what they do,” he claimed.
Lawyer Annan stated that government does not stand to lose because “there are 42 radio stations in Accra alone and it is only three who have been denied active access” to government.
He added: “If they can get information elsewhere fine, we’re not stopping them and these happenings of the apparatchiks and apologists of the NPP will not fly. If they think we are making a mistake then fine and if it works to their advantage fine.”
He condemned the BBC’s interview with Kojo Asante of the CDD on the issue, describing it as “conflict of interest” since the British broadcaster is a partner station of Joy FM whiles the policy think-tank has been blacklisted by the NDC.
“The CDD is an appendage of the NPP so we don’t deal with them. The BBC itself operates on Joy so what kind of conflict of interest, blatant and shameless conflict of interest is this. There is no compulsion on government to deal with Multimedia and how they get their information is up to them,” he pointed out.