NAPO sues top Islamic cleric over homosexuality allegations

The 2024 vice-presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), has sued an Islamic cleric and scholar by the name of Sheikh Mohammed Kamil Samudeen, the deputy Imam of Ahlussuna Wal Jamaa-Ghana.

Court documents sighted by GhanaWeb showed that NAPO, a former Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, has accused Sheikh Samudeen of defaming him.

He accused the Islamic scholar of lying that he was unmarried and was a homosexual and was only given a wife after he was made the running mate of the NPP for the 2024 presidential elections.

"NAPO is not married and he does not have children. He is in Parliament and at 57 years he is not married. What was he doing? 57 years, you are rich and in Parliament but you are not married. When they selected him to be Vice President, then they found him a woman. You will see videos circulating of him sitting with the woman and then she is trying to hold his hand, then he shoves her hand away and looks elsewhere.

“He is a homosexual. He does not like women. He is a homosexual. I am telling NAPO you are a homosexual. You do not like women. That is why at 57 years you were not married. You do not have a child. If your parents were homosexuals, they would not have given birth to you. I want him to listen carefully; if his parents and ancestors were homosexuals, they would not have given birth to him," Dujana is quoted to have said in the court document.

The former legislator, through his lawyers, said that the allegations made by Dujana were “false and malicious” and were aimed at tarnishing his image in the run-up to the election.

He therefore asked the court to declare that the imam's comments are defamatory and order him (Sheikh Samudeen) to apologise and retract the statement he made.

He also asked the court for GH¢19 million in damages.

Below are the reliefs NAPO is seeking:

a) A declaration that the words complained of in paragraph 14 herein, and published by the Defendant, are defamatory of the Plaintiff's character;

b) An order of the honourable Court directed at the Defendant to publish an unqualified retraction and an apology to the Plaintiff with the same prominence the defamatory words received within days after the judgment;

c) An order of the honourable Court for a perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, his agents, assigns, servants, and any person claiming authority through him from further making and/or publishing any words defamatory of the Plaintiff;

d) The sum of Ten Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢10,000,000.00) in damages for defamation against the Defendant;

e) Costs, including lawyer's fees;

f) Any other relief(s) as this honourable Court may deem fit.

BAI

Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe on Ghana's past, present and the road ahead