President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, has claimed to have received a personal threat from Farouk Aliu Mahama, the Member of Parliament for Yendi Constituency.
Dwumfuor reported that he received a text message from the MP on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, which he interpreted as a personal threat.
“This morning, I woke up to Farouk Mahama’s message around five in the morning. He sent me a message: ‘Good morning. My lawyers are working to sue the journalist and all those involved for defamation. Rest my case. The name of the game is evidence, not just allegations,” the president told a press conference on Tuesday.
Dwumfuor’s disclosure follows a journalist’s accusation of physical assault by the Yendi MP during a tumultuous New Patriotic Party parliamentary primary in Yendi.
Dwumfuor emphasised that he perceives the MP’s message as a personal threat and intends to address it accordingly.
“We want to let him know that, as journalists, we don’t dwell on assumptions and suspicions. We only base our decisions on facts and evidence and I see this as a personal threat. Because if you want to go to court, go to court.
“Why sent me a personal message? You have no business sending me a message. So if Honourable Farouk is listening, I see it as a personal threat and I will deal with it as such. We are ready to meet him in court and wherever he wants to take the matter,” he said.
Farouk Aliu Mahama, who has refuted the accusation of assault, has threatened to pursue legal recourse against the journalist.
However, during a press conference on Tuesday, the President of the GJA issued a 10-day ultimatum to the Ghana Police Service and the New Patriotic Party.
He emphasised that if no action is taken against the MP within this timeframe, the GJA and its affiliated organisations, including the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), will consider their next steps.
“We are giving the NPP, regional and national, and the Ghana Police Service ten (10) days ultimatum each to hear from them. They should arrest the perpetrators. If they fail, we shall advise ourselves. The NPP leadership at the national and regional levels must seek justice for our colleague, Mohammed Amin Alabira, by sanctioning the MP and his hoodlums appropriately.
“The Ghana Police Service should speed up investigations into the case and arraign the perpetrators before court to face the full rigours of the law for their distasteful conduct. This time, the policemen and women were witnesses to the incident as it happened.
“We are giving the NPP, regional and national, and the Ghana Police Service ten (10) days ultimatum each to hear from them. They should arrest the perpetrators. If they fail, we shall advise ourselves,” the association said.