Tsatsu Tsikata Initiates Defamation Lawsuit Against Kofi Akpaloo and Media Network.

Accra: Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, a private legal practitioner, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Kofi Akpaloo, the Presidential Candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), and Excellence In Broadcasting (EIB) Network, the owner of GHOne Television. The legal action arises from statements made by Mr. Akpaloo during an interview on GHOne Television, where he allegedly made false claims about Mr. Tsikata.According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Akpaloo, in a televised interview on November 19, 2024, as part of his presidential campaign, asserted that Mr. Tsikata's favorable remarks about the country's condition under former President Mahama were due to personal benefits he received, including contracts and advantageous deals. Mr. Tsikata, who formerly served as Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, contends that these statements were unfounded and damaging to his reputation.Mr. Tsikata argues that the words used by Mr. Akpaloo suggested that his opinions were biased due to personal gains under President Mahama's administration. He claims that the statements were intended to degrade his standing in the community and portray him as someone driven by self-interest, thereby questioning the authenticity of his views.In his legal claim, Mr. Tsikata seeks a mandatory injunction compelling the defendants to publish an apology and retract the defamatory statements in a manner similar to their original broadcast. Additionally, he requests that GHOne Television append their apology and retraction to the online publication of Mr. Akpaloo's interview. Furthermore, Mr. Tsikata is pursuing punitive costs against Mr. Akpaloo.