…But spares John Ntim Fordjour
Blay Nyameke Armah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sekondi on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket, has filed a defamation lawsuit at the High Court of Justice in Accra against three defendants: Lawuratu Musah-Saaka, the Jospong Group of Companies, and Ignite Media Group, owners of Metro TV.
The MP, is demanding, among other things, general, aggravated, punitive, and compensatory damages totalling GH₵10,000,000.00, legal costs, and any other relief the court deems appropriate. This comes after he was allegedly implicated in a US$350 million cocaine bust.
The case arises from alleged defamatory statements made on the widely broadcast television programme Good Morning Ghana, which was subsequently shared across various social media platforms.
Interestingly, Mr Armah, appears to have spared Rev John Ntim Fordjour, the MP for Assin South and Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, despite the latter being the one who first mentioned his name in connection with the 3,000 kilograms of cocaine, valued at US$350 million.
Both Rev John Ntim Fordjour and Lawuratu Musah-Saaka, have claimed that the NDC parliamentary candidate for Sekondi is feigning ignorance about Blay Nyameke Armah’s current status as a Member of Parliament, following his defeat of Andrew Egyapa Mercer of the NPP in the 2024 parliamentary election.
During her appearance on Good Morning Ghana, Lawuratu Musah-Saaka, alleged that the NDC candidate owned the US$350 million worth of cocaine and was on the run.
She further claimed that state security agencies, had arrested his son during a raid at his residence, although the MP himself was not found. They did not mention his name directly, perhaps trying to dodge any legal action.
However, in his writ dated April 9, Mr Armah, states that the first defendant falsely accused him of involvement in transnational drug trafficking, including the possession of 3,000 kilograms of cocaine.
The statements further suggested that Mr Armah, had fled to a neighbouring country to evade arrest and that his son had been apprehended in connection with the alleged criminal activities.
According to the writ, these accusations have significantly damaged Mr Armah’s reputation as a lawyer, businessman, and sitting Member of Parliament, exposing him to public ridicule and emotional distress.
The plaintiff contends that the allegations were made maliciously, without any evidence, and were intended to portray him as a criminal kingpin at the head of an organised crime network.
Mr Armah’s suit, seeks several legal remedies, including a declaration that the first defendant’s statements were false, malicious, and defamatory. He is also requesting a retraction and a public apology with the same prominence as the original defamatory content.
Furthermore, he is asking the court to grant a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from making any further defamatory statements, in addition to general, aggravated, punitive, and compensatory damages totalling GH₵10,000,000.00, legal costs, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Mr Armah, had announced his intention to pursue legal action against members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who had linked him to a US$350 million cocaine bust.
The controversy, follows a recent National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) operation, during which a tipper truck was intercepted at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast on Tuesday, 25 March. Acting on intelligence, officers discovered approximately 3.3 tonnes of cocaine—143 sacks of the illegal substance—concealed beneath sand and en route to Accra from the Western Region.
Following the seizure, some members of the NPP publicly associated the Sekondi MP’s name with the narcotics case. In an interview with Citi News, Mr Armah, categorically denied any involvement and disclosed plans to formally notify the Speaker of Parliament, calling for a thorough investigation.
His remarks came in response to allegations made by Rev John Ntim Fordjour, MP for Assin South, who suggested that a parliamentary candidate of the opposition NDC was connected to the drug haul, valued at approximately US$350 million—a person many speculated to be Mr Armah.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One Newsroom, Rev Fordjour claimed: “It was an NDC parliamentary candidate who owns that $150 million portion of the cocaine. So, when we bring these exposés, it is expected that the NDC will feel frustrated and come at me personally. But I am not perturbed.”
In response, Mr Armah said, “I have no knowledge about anything like that. My first time hearing it was when Hon. Ntim Fordjour made those allegations, stating that such events had occurred in Sekondi-Takoradi, and that a known parliamentary candidate in the Western Region was involved.”
He continued, “Then on Monday, Lawuratu Musah-Saaka, a communicator for the NPP, also made a similar allegation, this time specifically referring to me.”
The Sekondi MP, stressed that his legal action would target all parties responsible for propagating the allegations, including Metro TV and its producers, on whose platform Lawuratu Musah-Saaka, made her claim.
“The writ will target the person who made the allegation, the platform that aired it, the producer of the show, and the NPP communicator involved,” he said.
In an earlier interview on Oyerepa TV on April 8, 2025, Mr Armah, reiterated that he had never seen cocaine in his life and expressed deep frustration over what he described as baseless and defamatory accusations.
“For me, Lawyer Blay Armah, all the allegations being spread about me—I have no involvement. The next step is that they will hear from my lawyers,” he said.
He added: “It’s on Twitter and all over social media. But as I’m saying, in my entire life, I have never seen cocaine before. And the amount of money they’re quoting—if I had that kind of money, would I still be here? I’d have bought an island somewhere.”
The case centres on the NIB’s March 2025 drug bust, in which 3,319.66 kilogrammes (3.3 tonnes) of substances suspected to be cocaine were intercepted. The drugs, with an estimated street value of US$350 million, had been hidden in sacks buried beneath sand in a tipper truck in an effort to avoid detection.
Mr Armah, has vowed to see through his legal challenge against what he terms “baseless and damaging rumours.”