‘Apologise or I will sue you’

Mustapha Gbande [L] and Afenyo-Markin

Deputy General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has issued a strong warning to Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and the Minority in Parliament, demanding an immediate apology over what he describes as a “disingenuous and malicious” attempt to portray him as inciting or perpetrating violence during the just ended Ablekuma North election.

Speaking during a panel discussion on TV3 on Friday, July 11, 2025, monitored by GhanaWeb, Gbande rejected accusations allegedly made by Afenyo-Markin linking him to acts of violence.

According to Gbande, such claims are baseless, defamatory, and intended to tarnish his reputation and incite public disapproval against him.

“Let me use this medium to reinforce my call on Afenyo-Markin and the Minority. If they do not apologise to me for that disingenuous characterisation of myself as someone who has caused or incited violence in this election, I will sue him,” Gbande declared.

He emphasised that he has never engaged in violent acts and challenged Afenyo-Markin to produce evidence if any exists.

“He is sitting in Accra as if he has a reporter on the ground and is relying on misinformation to defame me. A Minority Leader should not engage in such preposterousness and lies,” Gbande added.

Gbande who is also the Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency further reminded Afenyo-Markin of the party hierarchy, stating, “I am a Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, for God’s sake. In party ranking, he is supposed to be my junior.”

Gbande’s comments come amid rising political tensions following an election rerun in Ablekuma North, where accusations of violence and misconduct have marred public discourse.

Video footage showed Hawa Koomson, the former Awutu Senya East MP being thrown to the ground and allegedly stomped on in the chest and groin area at one of the polling centres by unidentified thugs before police officers stepped in.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers overran the security detail at the St. Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling booth and attacked a number of political personalities, including the former Member of Parliament.

The incident has sparked numerous discussions over the efficacy of security personnel used during elections as the police officers assigned were not armed and had no riot control tools.

KA

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