Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah, has called for a thorough investigation into the release of the contentious ‘Agyapadie’ document.
On August 6, 2024, Owusu-Bempah urged Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo Dampare to apprehend those responsible for the document’s publication.
He referenced legal frameworks to back his request, highlighting that while Chapter 5, Article 21 of the 1992 Constitution ensures freedom of speech and press, the 1960 Criminal Offenses Act (Act 29) and the Electronic Communications Act 2008 (Act 775) impose penalties for false publications that incite public disorder or pose safety risks.
“I, therefore, call for an investigation into the entire Agyapadie publication and those believed to have orchestrated the publication to be fished out and followed up with a view to punish them in accordance with the relevant sections of the Criminal Offences Act.
“The publishers of Awake news and their collaborators have developed a penchant for the publication of fake news because they always get away with it regardless of the magnitude of such evil lies they peddle.
“As a country, we cannot look on for the NDC to always peddle brazen and wicked falsehoods and later turn around to say this is politics. On this current issue, the publishers of Awake news must be subjected to the full rigors of the law to deter them from hiding behind social media to create confusion in the system.
“The Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, as a matter of urgency, must arrest the people behind the publication of this fictional document and bring them to face the full rigors of the law,” he said.
He criticized the publishers of Awake News for repeatedly disseminating false information and evading consequences, asserting that such actions undermine national integrity.
Owusu-Bempah stressed that Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo Dampare must urgently arrest the individuals behind the publication and ensure they are prosecuted.
The 38-page Agyapadie document, which features prominent figures like Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, President Nana Akufo-Addo, and his late father, lacks an identified author. President Akufo-Addo addressed the rumors surrounding the document on August 1, 2024, dismissing its content as entirely fictitious.