The National Women’s Organiser of the NPP, Otiko Djaba, is strongly convinced that the imprisonment of Ken Kuranchie and Stephen Atubiga for contempt was long overdue.
The managing Editor of the Searchlight newspaper, Mr. Kuranchie was sentenced to a 10-day prison term by the Supreme Court on Tuesday over a front page publication in his newspaper, which questioned the basis of the court’s invitation of Deputy Communication Director of the NPP, Sammy Awuku, for describing the Bench as "hypocritical and selective".
Another contemnor, Stephen Atubiga, was also sentenced to 3 days for vowing on radio that President John Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress will not hand over power even if the court ordered so at the end of the election petition hearing.
A defiant Ken Kuranchie, on the other hand, attempted explaining himself to the court and ended up engaging the bench in a back-and forth argument.
He also repeatedly gave conditional apologies despite promptings by the court to either render an unqualified and unreserved apology or stand his ground that he was right and the court was wrong.
Commenting on the conviction on various television networks Wednesday, the NPP’s Women’s Organiser stressed that the Supreme Court should have started cracking the whip “starting with Sammy Awuku”.
Starting from the pro-NPP station, Net 2 in the morning and moving to the Multi TV’s Minority Caucus programme later in the evening, the NPP Women’s Organiser adopted an unsympathetic stance against the convicted journalist who has been a staunch defendant of the NPP.
Meanwhile, Volta Regional Executives of the NPP yesterday visited Ken Kuranchie at the Ho Central Prisons.
Mr. Kuranchie was moved from the Nsawam medium Prison to Ho Central at dawn on Wednesday.
