Awutu Senya East NDC Chairman Sues Party Executives Over Alleged Defamation

A legal battle has erupted within the Awutu Senya East Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after the constituency chairman, Stephen Ofosu Agyare, initiated court action against several party executives over alleged defamatory remarks.

The suit, filed at the Accra High Court and sighted by Citi News, names the constituency youth organiser, Nash Adams Nyandey, his deputy, Catherine Amosah, and five branch executives—Razak Tetteh Addo, Kojo Adande, Ebenezer Manaf Anim, Sufiyanu Halid, and Obed Wood—as defendants.

According to the writ of summons, Mr Ofosu Agyare accuses the defendants of making statements that he claims have damaged his personal reputation and standing within the party. He is seeking a total of GHS500,000 in damages, in addition to legal costs and fees.

The chairman is also asking the court to compel each defendant to publish an apology and retraction in a nationally circulated newspaper.

The suit alleges that the defendants circulated defamatory statements about him on various WhatsApp platforms created to organise party members and promote the activities of the NDC.

Among the statements cited in the writ are claims that during the party’s last primaries, the chairman paid individuals to spread false allegations that the Member of Parliament had misused GHS30,000 allocated for party activities. Other allegations include claims that he misrepresented the acquisition of vehicles for the MP and that he attempted to unlawfully acquire land belonging to a former constituency chairman.

Additional statements attributed to the defendants allege that Mr Ofosu Agyare was involved in illegal sand-winning operations at Beraku using excavators, and that constituency executives, led by the chairman, had withheld a purported GHS20,000 monthly allocation from the party’s national leadership.

Sources within the NDC, according to Citi News, say the lawsuit has further deepened existing tensions between the constituency chairman and some party executives, including the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor.

The internal divisions are not new. Since 2020, rivalry between the camp of the constituency chairman and that of the MP has reportedly intensified, despite multiple reconciliation efforts by senior party figures, including former President John Dramani Mahama.

Confirming the court action, Mr Ofosu Agyare said the lawsuit was necessary to protect his reputation, alleging that the defendants had been using anonymous accounts to attack him.

“The court action is necessary to redeem my image, given that these individuals were hiding behind pseudo accounts to defame me for over six months,” he told Citi News.