No chief has the power to shut down a radio station – Lawyer tells Oyerepa FM

No chief has the authority to shut down a radio station, regardless of what the media organisation has done to the chief, constitutional lawyer Kwame Adofo has said to the management of Oyerepa FM.

The Kumasi Traditional Council had requested an unqualified apology from the radio station and for it to cease operations effective Friday, 26 August 2022.

The directive came after the founder of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, accused some chiefs of illegal mining in the Ashanti Region, a comment the chiefs described as distasteful and disrespectful.

At a Kumasi Traditional Council meeting on Thursday, 25 August 2022, Oyerepa FM managers were asked to temporarily suspend operations and apologise to the Manhyia Palace for allowing Mr Odike to use its medium to “defame” chiefs in Asanteman and the Asantehene.

The council led by the Bantamahene, Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI, said, “we are demanding that the media house render an unqualified apology to us. We want them to use the appropriate channel in doing so. Also, the media house should temporarily halt its operations until the pending issues are resolved.”

But commenting on the issue, the legal practitioner, Kwame Addo, stressed that the traditional council lacks the legal authority to order the closure of any media house deemed to have offended them.

“What the chiefs have done is unconstitutional. No chief has the power to shut down a radio station, no matter what wrong the media organisation might have done to the chief. We give reverence to our traditional authorities, but there cannot be any instance where traditional laws supersede the constitution of the country. I urge Oyerepa FM to go to court to restore their freedom to operate,” he advised the media house in an interview with Kasapa FM.

He stressed that the power to shut down a radio station rests only with the court.

But General Manager of Oyerepa FM, Samtimer Otuo Acheampong, says the station will seek to atone for offending the council.

The television wing of the media house, however, remains operational.

Meanwhile, Mr Odike, whose comments triggered the development, says he will not apologise for his comments.