Embattled founder and leader of the United Progressive Party, Akwasi Addai alias 'Odike', has withdrawn his allegations against the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo.
According to Odike, his allegation of illegal mining against Asante Bediatuo was only a subject of inference emanating from a TV news report.
"If my brother failed to receive my statement in good faith, I withdraw it. I have no problem withdrawing because I have not witnessed it myself; it was just hearsay, I heard on TV," he said on Despite Media's Neat FM.
Odike's apology comes barely 24 hours after lawyers for the executive secretary to the president demanded a retraction and apology for his allegations against their client.
But explaining his statement on Neat FM, Odike said the allegations were not his personal statement as he only sought to urge Nana Bediatuo to respond to claims made by some residents of Bosome Freho in the Ashanti Region.
"What I said was I was watching TV3, and the residents of Bosome Freho, a town with a forest reserve located there, were engaged in a confrontation with a group of soldiers. What I heard on TV3, according to the residents, was that the soldiers were beating them up with the claim that Bediatuo had sent them to come and work there. I saw that on TV. Even in the process of the struggle with the residents, the soldiers pierced the eye of a young man with scissors. All that was on TV. So I was making my inference from the TV.
It is not as if I claimed to know that he is engaged in galamsay, but what was said on TV by the residents was what I was asking Asante Bediatuo to respond to. I've never claimed that Bediatuo is involved in galamsay. It was what the residents alleged that I was using as a reference," Odike said.
Odike recently incurred the wrath of the Kumasi Traditional Council for allegedly accusing some chiefs in the Ashanti Region of being embroiled in illegal mining (galamsey) activities.
On the back of the same matter, lawyers at Marfo and Associates, in a letter dated August 24, 2022, say Odike deliberately sought to malign the President's Executive Secretary when he said in a radio interview that "Bediatuo of flagstaff house has brought people to Bosomefreho to engage in galamsey".
According to the lawyers, Odike failed to verify his claims while intending to malign, causing public disaffection, injuring their client's reputation and reducing his reputation in the eyes of right-thinking members of society.
The lawyers, therefore, demanded a retraction and apology from Odike for his comment, noting that a failure on his part could result in the commencement of legal action against him.
"In view of the aforesaid, we are instructed to demand an immediate retraction and apology for the malicious and defamatory publication within a week upon receipt of this letter.
"Please be informed that we have our client's firm instructions to commence legal proceedings against you to vindicate his grievances without further recourse to you should you fail to accede to our request within the period stated supra," the letter said.
Meanwhile, the Kumasi Traditional Council last week performed rituals to banish Odike on the back of comments he made accusing Ashanti chiefs of condoning illegal mining (galamsey).
According to the Kumasi Traditional Council, the businessman turned politician made inciteful statements that the Council deemed to be distasteful, unsubstantiated and meant to dent the image of Manhyia.
The chiefs slaughtered a ram as part of the rituals to banish him.
Lawyers for the President's Secretary issued a one-week ultimatum to Odike