Dr Kingsley Nyarko
Executive Director of the Danquah Institute (DI), Dr Kingsley Nyarko, who happens to be one of the persons accused of insulting the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has challenged his accusers to provide evidence of the insult or risk being sued.
A group calling itself the Kumasi Youth Association, led by one Kwabena Frimpong, general secretary, had accused the founder of DI, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Secretary to President Akufo-Addo, Nana Asante Bediatuo; Deputy Director of MASLOC, Afia Akoto; Director of the National Service Secretariat, Gifty Oware-Aboagye; Dr Nyarko and others, of insulting the Asantehene.
But in a statement denying the allegation, the DI executive director underscored that the allegation leveled against them was intended primarily to incite public hatred for him and his colleagues “simply out of malice.”
Dr. Nyarko indicated in the statement, “I would like to state emphatically that neither I, nor the other persons mentioned above, have ever, and will never ever insult the person of the king nor denigrate his Highest Office for any reason.”
He stated, “We respect, adore and hold in high esteem the King of the Asante Kingdom and occupant of the Golden Stool.”
According to him, “We thus see the association’s accusation as a deliberate and contrived attempt at courting public hatred for us as well as tarnishing our reputation, and most dangerously exposing us to a calculated agenda to needlessly make us unnecessary victims of no wrong done, but to achieve their own known agenda of hate and tribal bigotry.”
Dr Nyarko maintained, “The behaviour of the group is unacceptable and one that creates anomie in society and must be condemned by all well-mannered Ghanaians.”
He warned, “I therefore demand that the association provides the said insulting comment or retract their allegation, especially against my person and render an unqualified apology to me and the other persons by 11/05/18.
Failure to do so by the stated date will lead to redress at the court.”
By Melvin Tarlue