Former Member of Parliament and ex-Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T. Hammond, has initiated legal proceedings against journalist Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, and his employer, Media General Ghana Limited.
The lawsuit, filed in the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court, alleges defamation stemming from remarks made during Onua TV’s coverage of Ghana’s December 2024 elections.
According to court documents, Hammond claims that Captain Smart’s comments, broadcast in Akan on the program “Ghana Decides 2024 – Election Command Center,” misrepresented him as tribalistic.
The remarks allegedly attributed to Hammond suggest he questioned the election victory of National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Godwin Animli Dorgbadzi Dorani, a Ghanaian of Ewe descent, in the Adansi-Asokwa constituency, an Ashanti-dominated area.
Hammond asserts that the words implied he harboured prejudice against Ghanaians of Ewe descent, thus damaging his reputation.
The former MP, who served in various ministerial roles and on several parliamentary committees since 2001, has described the accusations as baseless and sensationalized for media attention.
The alleged defamatory statement translates to: “He said, he said: ah! How can an Ewe person unseat me, eh, eh? He said: why would an Ewe person be the one to take the seat from me in an Ashanti township?”
Mr. Hammond’s suit argues that these comments were false, defamatory, and calculated to incite ethnic tension in a country constitutionally opposed to tribal discrimination.
Mr. K. T. Hammond is seeking the following remedies from the court:
Damages: Including special, aggravated, and exemplary damages for the alleged libel.
Injunction: A court order to restrain Captain Smart and Media General from further disseminating similar statements.
Retraction and Apology: A directive for the defendants to retract the alleged defamatory statements and issue a public apology across their platforms.
Content Removal: The removal of defamatory videos and related publications from online platforms.
Costs: Compensation for the expenses incurred in pursuing the suit.
Mr. Hammond’s legal team claims that the media’s competitive nature and the sensationalism surrounding the remarks have aggravated the harm to their client’s reputation.
The lawsuit also highlights the plaintiff’s efforts to resolve the matter amicably, including a demand for retraction and apology through a solicitor’s letter dated December 16, 2024, which the defendants allegedly ignored.
Media General Ghana Limited, which operates Onua Fm/TV, has yet to issue a formal response to the lawsuit. Captain Smart, known for his outspoken commentary, has not publicly addressed the allegations as of the time of this report.
