KEY POINTS

• Ghana’s Court of Appeal in Kumasi has dismissed an application by Bono Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, to halt a defamation lawsuit filed by journalist Samson Lardy Anyenini.

• The ruling, delivered on October 21, 2026, allows the defamation proceedings to continue.

• The decision marks another unsuccessful attempt by Abronye to stop the case through the appellate cour

The three-member Court of Appeal panel, presided over by Justice Eric Baah, dismissed Abronye’s renewed application on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, and ordered him to pay GH¢10,000 in legal costs.

The application sought to suspend proceedings in the main defamation case while an interlocutory appeal was being determined. The court’s decision removes the latest procedural obstacle to the substantive case continuing at the Kumasi High Court.

The ruling does not settle the underlying defamation allegations or determine the outcome of the pending interlocutory appeal.

What the defamation case is about

The lawsuit was filed in April 2025 by Samson Lardy Anyenini, a lawyer and journalist, against Abronye, Wontumi Multimedia Company Limited and its programme host, Kwaku Kyeremanteng Nkansah.

The case concerns statements allegedly broadcast on Wontumi TV and Wontumi Radio in which Anyenini was reportedly described as dishonest, corrupt and a thief.

The broadcasts also allegedly claimed that Anyenini received US$50,000 to use his role on the Newsfile programme on Joy FM and Joy News TV to embarrass Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, a Member of Parliament.

Anyenini has denied the allegations and is seeking damages and other reliefs from the defendants. The claims remain contested and have not been established by a court.

Earlier attempts to stop the case

Abronye’s latest application follows several unsuccessful attempts to have the case halted or struck out.

On November 28, 2025, the Kumasi High Court declined to strike out Anyenini’s lawsuit. It ordered a reassessment of the filing fees but rejected Abronye’s other procedural objections.

The dispute over filing fees subsequently prompted a petition to the Chief Justice and a Judicial Service circular issued on February 4, 2026, clarifying how fees in defamation cases should be assessed.

Abronye later returned to the High Court, seeking to strike out the suit over alleged non-compliance with the earlier order. On April 17, 2026, the court dismissed that application and directed the defendants to file the required court documents within 14 days.

He subsequently appealed and sought a stay of proceedings, but the High Court rejected that request on May 26, 2026. The Court of Appeal has now dismissed his latest attempt to suspend the substantive case.

Settlement discussions and next steps

Wontumi Multimedia Company Limited has approached Anyenini to explore an amicable settlement on behalf of the company and its programme host, Kwaku Kyeremanteng Nkansah, according to reports of the proceedings.

Abronye, the third defendant, is represented by lawyer David Boakye Mensah, while Anyenini is represented by Etornam Caleb Afutu.

The latest ruling allows the substantive defamation action to proceed before the Kumasi High Court. However, it does not establish whether the statements complained of were defamatory, and the court has yet to determine the merits of the case