Abronye hit with GH¢10,000 cost as Court of Appeal rejects bid to halt Anyenini defamation suit

The Court of Appeal in Kumasi has ordered the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, to pay GH¢10,000 in costs after dismissing his latest attempt to suspend a defamation action brought against him by lawyer and journalist Samson Lardy Anyenini.

The decision, delivered on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, by a three-member panel chaired by Justice Eric Baah, clears the way for the substantive case to proceed before the Kumasi High Court.

Abronye had approached the appellate court seeking a stay of proceedings pending the determination of an interlocutory appeal arising from earlier decisions of the High Court.

However, the Court of Appeal declined to halt the proceedings and awarded costs against him.

Background to the defamation suit

The legal dispute dates back to April 2025, when Mr Anyenini commenced an action against Wontumi Multimedia Company Limited, broadcaster Kwaku Kyeremanteng Nkansah and Abronye over statements allegedly made during programmes aired on Wontumi TV and Radio.

According to the statement of claim, the defendants allegedly made publications portraying Mr Anyenini as dishonest, corrupt and a thief.

The broadcasts are also alleged to have accused him of receiving US$50,000 to use his Newsfile programme to discredit Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, a Member of Parliament.

Mr Anyenini denies the allegations and maintains that the statements injured his reputation and professional standing.

He is consequently seeking substantial damages and other reliefs against the defendants.

Previous attempts to halt proceedings

Since the commencement of the action, Abronye has pursued several procedural challenges aimed at preventing the substantive case from proceeding.

On November 28, 2025, the Kumasi High Court rejected an application seeking to strike out the suit on grounds relating to its competence.

Although the court directed a reassessment of the applicable filing fees, it dismissed the other objections raised against the action.

The disagreement over the assessment of filing fees subsequently resulted in a petition to the Chief Justice.

A Judicial Service circular issued on February 4, 2026, later provided clarification on the assessment of filing fees in defamation proceedings.

Abronye subsequently filed another application seeking to strike out the suit, alleging non-compliance with the High Court's earlier directive.

That application was also dismissed on April 17, 2026, with the court ordering the defendants to file the necessary processes within 14 days.

Following the decision, Abronye lodged an appeal and sought a stay of proceedings before the High Court.

The application for a stay was rejected on May 26, 2026, prompting him to pursue similar relief before the Court of Appeal.

The latest dismissal represents another unsuccessful attempt to suspend the substantive proceedings.

Settlement discussions involving other defendants

Meanwhile, Wontumi Multimedia Company Limited has reportedly approached Mr Anyenini to explore an amicable settlement of the dispute on behalf of the company and its programme host, Kwaku Kyeremanteng Nkansah.

The reported discussions concern the first and second defendants, while Abronye remains the third defendant in the action.

According to the account of the proceedings, Abronye has yet to file his Statement of Defence, approximately 18 months after the suit was instituted.

He is represented by lawyer David Boakye Mensah, while Etornam Caleb Afutu represents Mr Anyenini.

At Wednesday's hearing, Kwadwo Bediako-Baryeh held brief for Mr Anyenini's counsel.

Substantive case remains pending

The Court of Appeal's latest decision concerns Abronye's application to suspend the High Court proceedings and does not determine the merits of the underlying defamation claim.

The court has neither established that the disputed statements were defamatory nor determined the liability of any of the defendants.

Similarly, the dismissal of the stay application does not dispose of the pending interlocutory appeal.

The substantive action can therefore proceed before the Kumasi High Court unless a further order directs otherwise.