You can’t gag me - Afoko fights back

Suspended National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Paul Awentami Afoko has hit back at lawyers of the party and some persons he described as trying to gag him under the guise of citing him for contempt.

At the last hearing in a case where is challenging his suspension by the party, lead counsel of the NPP Godfred Dame wanted the trial judge to give direction to bar Mr. Afoko from making public pronouncements regarding the issue especially in the media.

But Mr. Afoko through his Spokesperson Nana Yaw Osei in a latest press release on Monday March 28, 2016, indicates that a lot of untruths have been peddled about him and the time to speak up is ripe, stating that no amount of threats could get him back down on his resolve to speak out.

Read Details of Release to that effect:

PRESS RELEASE

YOU CAN’T GAG AFOKO!

It now very clear that those who masterminded the so-called infamous suspension of the duly elected National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party(NPP), Mr. Paul A. Afoko can no longer stand the truth that he is telling Ghanaians in his media interviews to state his side of the story.

They have hidden behind surrogates of all types to get Mr. Afoko not to explain his side of the story in the media, but in all, they have failed. The Afoko story, which is not part of what is presently before the court, must be told and shall be told in detail!

Just last week (24/3/2016), these shameless persons took their dishonorable crusade of gagging Mr. Afoko to yet another level. This time, the court of law.

Lawyer for the NPP, Godfred Dame, obviously filled with hatred for the person of Mr. Afoko seen in the manner he spoke and playing to the gallery, repeated a deliberate and laughable lie that had been told about Mr. Afoko in a tabloid called the ‘daily guide’ in court.

The lie by the ‘daily guide’ tabloid was that Mr. Afoko had stated on UTV that he would not vote for the NPP flagbearer. This was a palpable falsehood!

This was Godfred Dame’s basis for mentioning in court that he would cite Mr. Afoko and my good self for contempt if we were not advised to stop discussing the matter which was before the court in the media. We do not discuss and do not intend to discuss the present court matter in the media.

Of course, Mr. Osafo Buabeng, lead Counsel for Mr. Afoko, denied the lie Godfred Dame was saying in court.

We want to put it on record that Mr. Paul A. Afoko and those who believe that some injustice has, and continues to take place in the NPP will never keep quiet.

Indeed, members of the team, including Mr. Afoko himself, are very much aware that they cannot discuss the merits of the matter pending before a court of competent jurisdiction and have so far stuck to this admonition. The team does not need any advice from Mr. Dame on this subject-matter.

We see this behaviour from our opponents in court as part of their grand agenda to get Mr. Afoko not to talk in the media by threatening him with contempt proceedings. This will not be allowed to happen.

Thank you.

Nana Yaw Osei, Spokesperson, National Chairman, NPP.