The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has asked the Multimedia Group to render “an unqualified apology” to it for its failure to admit its representatives to the station’s Newsfile programme on Saturday April 15.

Last Saturday’s edition of the show proceeded without representation from the governing party after the station turned away two of the party’s picks for the show – Eric Twum, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority; and Henry Nana Boakye, the Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme.

Newsfile host Samson Anyenini explained at the beginning of the show that the two “were not up to the standard of the show” for which reason producers had failed to admit them to the programme.

Reacting to the development, the Acting General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, in a statement said the description of the two as being below the standard of the current affairs programme was “unsavoury” and asked the media house and Mr Anyenini to issue an “official apology” to the party.

“The party demands an immediate and an unqualified apology from Multimedia and from Samson Anyenini,” the statement noted.

Mr Boadu further stated that Multimedia’s decision was high-handed and the controversy could have been avoided had the station decided to resolve the matter through “dialogue and respect”.



Below is the statement from the NPP:


ATTENTION:

MULTIMEDIA GROUP

Dear Sir/Madam

NPP DEMANDS AN UNQUALIFIED APOLOGY FROM MULTIMEDIA GROUP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) demands an official apology from your media organisation and also Samson Anyenini, the host of your programme, Newsfile.

The NPP, after submitting names for representation on the Saturday 15th April, 2017 edition of Newsfile, was surprised to hear on the live show our representatives “were not up to the standard of the show”. The unsavoury pronouncement was made by the host.

The party finds this statement very unfortunate.
Mr Henry Nana Boakye, who is currently the Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme and Eric Twum, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, are members of our national communications team.

We have worked hand in hand with your organisation at different levels and find this not only unnecessary but a display of high handedness in a simple matter that could have been resolved through dialogue and respect.

The party demands an immediate and an unqualified apology from Multimedia and from Samson Anyenini.

…Signed…
Boadu John
(General Secretary, Ag.)