The former communications officer of the National Democratic Congress in the Northern Region, Hardi Pagzaa, who is accused of assaulting a journalist from Dagbon FM earlier this week, has been ordered to apologise for his actions.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the NDC’s Northern Regional Secretary, said this during an interview with Eyewitness News.
According to Mr. Abdul-Salam, the alleged attack on the journalist Sadiq Gariba caught the attention of the party leadership in the area and led to a decision ordering him to apologise to both the journalist and the radio station.
Hardi Pagzaa received a reprimand and was made to understand that the party will not tolerate any attempts by any member or leader to harm its reputation publicly, Mr. Abdul-Salam said in a statement to Eyewitness News host Umaru Sanda Amadu.
“We will not hesitate to apply the full rules and regulations of the party if we have proven proof of anyone casting the party in a negative light and dragging the party into the public eye for mockery. Doing so tarnishes the party’s reputation, and we will not tolerate it.”
Hardi Pagzaa is not a current executive of the party in the area, Mr. Abdul-Salam further emphasised.
“Our communications officer did not act in this manner. This person is not a member of our communications team, he ran in an internal election and lost, and he is not even an executive.
A video of the assault on the journalist and Tamale-based Dagbon FM was taken and quickly went viral online.
The attack took place on May 3, International Press Freedom Day, and has subsequently received strong condemnation from a variety of sources, including the Ghana Journalists Association.
The Ministry of Information also called for investigation and prosecution following the attack on the journalist.
