Charles Bissue
An online attacker, Timothy Gariba, who used social media to attack and insult Charles Bissue ahead of the 2020 general election, has rendered an unqualified apology to the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Western Regional Secretary.
During that period, Gariba, an activist of the NPP, made harsh remarks and unverified personal attacks on the former parliamentary candidate for the Essikado-Ketan Constituency.
He accused Mr. Bissue of destroying the party in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency by supporting an independent candidate to contest the then incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), George Mireku Duker, in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
Gariba admitted that he did this out of fierce loyalty to the NPP candidate, believing he had to vilify anyone perceived as an enemy to his camp.
As a former loyalist of George Mireku Duker, Gariba had accused Mr. Bissue of collecting money from Joy Joycelyn Andoh — an NPP member who contested the Tarkwa-Nsuaem seat as an independent candidate — to bankroll her candidature.
Gariba also took centre stage online during the physical altercation that ensued between the legislator and Mr. Bissue ahead of the 2020 elections.
He heavily relied on social media platforms, particularly Facebook, to insult and threaten Mr. Bissue before and after the incident.
Unable to tolerate the incessant insults and threats against his life, Mr. Bissue sought legal redress in court.
The court had to issue a bench warrant for Gariba’s arrest after he repeatedly failed to honour police invitations and court appearances.
 The Apology
Realising that his actions were uncalled for, Gariba has now rendered an unqualified apology to Mr. Bissue.
According to Gariba, his decision followed interventions and counseling from prominent traditional authorities in the Essikado-Ketan Constituency, including the Paramount Chief, Nana Kobina Nketiah V.
He disclosed that he also appealed to former regional executives of the NPP to intervene and convince Mr. Bissue to withdraw the case from court in the supreme interest of party unity.
Gariba took the opportunity to advise all Ghanaians, particularly political actors, to desist from the politics of insults and personal defamation.
He expressed his sincere gratitude to Mr. Bissue for accepting his customary gestures, showing mercy, and letting sleeping dogs lie.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi