Togbe Tepre Hodo IV Sues Pro-NDC Media House and Journalists for Defamation
In an interesting turn of events, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, the main chief of the Anfoega Traditional Area, is suing Class Media Group, a media company that supports the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and other journalists for defamation.
His lawyer, Evans Gadeto Dzikunu, filed the lawsuit at the Accra High Court on May 26, 2025. The lawsuit, identified as GJ/0816/2025, lists 15 reasons why Togbe Tepre Hodo IV believes he was defamed. These reasons are split into two categories: “Particulars of Defamation” and “Particulars of Malice.
Why Togbe Tepre Hodo IV Claims Defamation
Under the “Particulars of Defamation,” Togbe Tepre Hodo IV highlights three main issues with the story:
- Portrays him as ignorant of the law: He argues the story makes him seem unaware of Ghana’s laws, which goes against his training and experience as a lawyer.
- Suggests he’s involved in partisan politics: The news headline or story implies he’s a chief who takes sides in politics, which is against the law for chiefs.
- Shows him as discriminatory or hateful towards the NDC: The story makes it seem like Togbe Tepre Hodo IV dislikes or discriminates against the NDC party.
Togbe Tepre Hodo IV claims that the defendants (Class Media Group and the journalists) published this harmful story knowing it was false, and they shared it with people both in Ghana and internationally.
Claims of Malicious Intent
Regarding “Particulars of Malice,” Togbe Tepre Hodo IV states that the defendants acted with bad intentions. He says they didn’t bother to check their facts with him before publishing the damaging story, which he believes goes against good, professional journalism.
He also argues that Class Media Group is equally responsible for the defamation because they provided the platform (their online website, Classfmonline.com) for the story to be published. He believes the defamation couldn’t have happened without their platform.
Because of this, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV is seeking punitive and exemplary damages from Class Media Group. He wants this to serve as a warning to other media organizations that use their platforms for irresponsible broadcasting and journalism.
What Togbe Tepre Hodo IV Wants from the Court
Based on these reasons, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV is asking the court for several things:
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- A declaration that the story published on April 3, 2025, is indeed defamatory.
- An order for punitive and general damages against the defendants for defamation.
- An order forcing the defendants to retract the story and apologize to him using the same media.
- An order for the defendants to permanently remove and delete all traces of the defamatory publication from their websites and other platforms.
- A permanent injunction preventing the defendants from ever publishing these or similar defamatory words or stories about him again.
- Punitive costs, including his lawyer’s fees.
The stage is set for a legal battle in the coming weeks between Togbe Tepre Hodo IV and Class Media Group, along with the other journalists.
