The Cape Coast High Court has ruled in favour of the Member of Parliament for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, in a defamation case brought against two individuals—Stephen Cobbah, popularly known as Adepa, and Yaw Korankye, also referred to as Ampong.

The case centred on alleged defamatory remarks made by the defendants on the “Assinman Politics Gh” WhatsApp platform in March 2024.

Rev. Fordjour, claiming the comments had severely tarnished his reputation, sought a declaration that the statements were defamatory, general damages of GH¢ 1 million, a perpetual injunction, an apology and retraction from the defendants, and legal costs.

In its judgement delivered on Monday, 28 April 2025, the court held that the comments in question were indeed defamatory.

It consequently awarded GH¢ 700,000 in damages against the defendants, to be paid jointly and severally, and imposed an additional cost of GH¢ 20,000 on each defendant.

Furthermore, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the pair from making further defamatory statements about Rev. Fordjour.

It also directed them to issue a retraction and publish an unreserved written apology with the same level of visibility as the original publication.

These apologies will be shared on the “Assinman Politics Gh” WhatsApp group and any other platforms where the defamatory content circulated.

This ruling brings closure to a matter that highlights the growing legal accountability for defamatory political discourse on digital platforms.