The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has reportedly sued Frederick Kaningen, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Organiser for the Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency in the Upper West Region, the constituency he used to represent in Parliament.
According to a report by upperwestmedia.net, Speaker Bagbin accused the NDC constituency organiser of defaming him with false and malicious statements that have tarnished his reputation.
The report indicated that the Speaker, through his lawyers, filed the suit at the High Court in Wa on April 3, 2025, after Frederick Kaningen allegedly slandered him at a press conference at the NDC party office at Nadowli, on March 11, 2025.
Kaningen is reported to have accused the Speaker of Parliament of attempting to “subvert the democratic process” and impose his will on the people of Nadowli-Kaleo by circumventing the party’s vetting process to install an unqualified candidate as District Chief Executive (DCE).
He is also reported to have said that the actions of the Speaker were a threat to the peace and unity in the Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency.
Speaker Bagbin, in the documents filed by his lawyers, denied interference in the process for the selection of the DCE, describing Kaningen’s allegation as baseless and designed to provoke public disaffection and ridicule against him.
He said that the claim made by the party organiser has been widely broadcast by media houses across the country, which has falsely portrayed him as an unscrupulous, dishonest person, willing to undermine democratic principles for personal gain.
The reliefs the Speaker is seeking include a declaration that the statements are defamatory, aggravated damages, and an injunction to prevent Kaningen from making similar claims in the future.
He also demands that Kaningen retract the statements and issue an unqualified apology through three publications in Joy News and Citi News, and that the defendant pays the legal costs of the suit.
The lead counsel of the Speaker, Thaddeus Sory Esq of Sory@Law, is quoted to have stated in the court documents that; “The statements are entirely false and were published with malice. Unless restrained by this court, the defendant will persist in this smear campaign.”
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