Former President John Dramani Mahama
Former President John Dramani Mahama is going after Kwame Baffoe, aka Abronye DC, after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) man had allegedly said on a television programme that he (Mahama) killed the then sitting President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills.
He has caused his lawyers to write to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to invite Abronye, who is the Bono Regional Chairman of the NPP, for questioning on some allegation he made. The ex-President did not include the allegation concerning the death of Prof. Mills as an issue the police should investigate, yet he complained about it.
Rather, he wants the police to question Abronye on why he alleged that he (Mahama) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are plotting to kill some NPP personalities, including Abronye.
Unhinged Mind
He said in the letter of May 4 to the CID Director General that the allegation regarding the death of Prof. Mills was ‘irreverent’ and described Abronye, whom he had accused of peddling it, as ‘unhinged mind’.
“Regarding the rather irreverent and despicable allegation that he (Mahama) killed the late President John Evans Atta Mills, he (Mahama) would not dignify it with any answer, except to say that the allegation could only come from an unhinged mind,” the letter signed by his lawyer, Tony Lithur of Lithur Brew and Company, said.
The circumstances surrounding the death of the late ex-President Prof. Mills became a taboo topic when the Mahama-led NDC was in power.
Formal Complaint
According to the letter, the former President is lodging a criminal complaint against Abronye for “Publication of false news – Section 208 of Act 29.
“I have been instructed on behalf of His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, the former President of Ghana and the current flag bearer of the NDC, to formally lodge on his behalf, criminal complaints against a certain Kwame Baffoe alias ‘Abronye DC’, a Ghanaian citizen and a prominent member of the NPP. I understand he is the Chairman for the Bono Region branch of the NPP.”
The letter said, “My instructions are that in a recording of a TV programme on Net2 TV at Madina, Accra, which has been circulating on various social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, Abronye DC made certain false claims, alleging a plot masterminded by the NDC and John Dramani Mahama to assassinate some NPP personalities, including he, Abronye, himself.”
The letter further said that “on the programme, Abronye DC announced to the general public that some NPP personalities would be assassinated by the NDC hirelings, who would be wearing NPP T-shirts, and that these hirelings would be doing the bidding of former President John Mahama.”
Mr. Mahama’s lawyer further said that “on the same programme, Abronye DC stated that President John Mahama “killed President John Evans Atta Mills”,” and enclosed as part of the compliant, a copy of the video recording of the said programme.
False Allegation
“John Dramani Mahama has firmly instructed me to say that the allegations are, of course, false, and for the avoidance of doubt, would like to state that neither the NDC nor he has planned to hire, hired or cause to be hired or instructed any person or persons to murder or assassinate anybody.”
In the letter, Mr. Mahama complained that “this is not the first time the same person, Abronye DC, has used similar platforms to denigrate and make scurrilous, outrageous and scandalous allegations against the NDC and former President Mahama and many other personalities within the NDC, which is the largest opposition party in Ghana,” adding “to date nobody has called the said Abronye DC to order.”
Disturbing Peace
“Abronye DC is a prominent member of the ruling NPP and while his false, outrageous and inflammatory accusations are clearly politically motivated, they are also likely to expose my client and members of the NDC to attacks from Abronye DCs political party’s sympathizers,” Mr. Mahama’s lawyer said in the letter.
He said, “By reason, also of his profile, he has by his false allegations pitted the two largest political parties in the country against each other in the context of spurious allegations of violent crime. This has real potential of disturbing the public peace.”
“My final instructions are, therefore, to kindly request you to use your good office to cause investigations to be conducted into Abronye DC’s false allegations and their publication,” the lawyer requested, drawing the attention of the CID to Section 208 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29).
By Ernest Kofi Adu