The General Secretaries of NDC and NPP, Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah and Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie respectively have fought off calls for a media blacklist amidst growing concerns that their comments on the ongoing Supreme Court hearing of the election petition are contemptuous.
Asiedu Nketia who spoke to Joy News insisted that he spoke only what was truthful and factual.
“I speak the truth and I point to everything that I have said to be factual,” he pontificated.
“General Mosquito”, as he is affectionately called, also irresistibly accused the NPP of initially igniting pre-judicial comments ever since they submitted their petition to the Supreme Court.
He also believed it was unfair to compare him to his counterpart. He said “when you lump me and Sir John together, what it tells Ghanaians is that NPP doesn’t want the truth”.
His counterpart, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie known as “Sir John” has also registered displeasure at these calls. He preferred to recount Ghana’s long road to democracy.
With unhidden amazement, he said he was surprised that “the President of GJA who ought to know better and who ought to protect rights and freedom, should be stating that I be gagged”.
He touted his participation in the fight for democratic structures such as the freedom of speech during Acheampong’s “repressive” regime.
Earlier, the Ghana Journalists Association’s President-elect, Affail Monney urged the Association’s members to stop interviewing the two on the case before the Supreme Court.
The call has received some support from Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance who has also rebuked the two gentlemen.
“There is public interest in the two gentlemen behaving more responsibly. What they are doing is propaganda. They are talking to their base and managing expectations in a skewed away. They are stoking fire in an irresponsible way”.