Mr. Jerry Rawlings, former President of Ghana has debunked ever attacking the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for failing to bring corrupt politicians to book.
He made the clarification in a statement issued through a Director in the Office of former President of Ghana, Navy Captain Afeku-Amenyo (rtd).
The former Ghanian President who recently delivered a keynote address at a lecture on ‘Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities’ in Abuja, denied making scathing attack on the government of Nigeria.
While describing the said online report as malicious and libelous, he also demanded immediate retraction and warned other media organizations that may have reproduced it to be prepared for the consequence should he decides to seek legal redress.
Afeku-Amenyo states, “The attention of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings has been drawn to a scurrilous news report originally published by the Premium Times of Nigeria, which has received wide coverage on the Internet and other social media.
“We wish to state strongly that the report is laced with irresponsible falsehoods, fabricated quotations and wrong allusions that bring the image of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings into disrepute.
“President Rawlings did deliver the keynote address on Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, at conference organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja on Monday, June 17, 2013.
“His address did not make reference to the government of Nigeria and he made no scathing attack on the Nigeria government as the Premium Times reported.
“President Rawlings also did not make reference to the Nigeria leadership’s failure to punish politicians who steal public funds. The first three paragraphs of the report are complete fabrications.
“Paragraph ten and twelve are distortions of what President Rawlings said. Because of the gross distortions and falsehoods the entire report does portray a totally different representation of the fact as took place at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on June 17.
“We have taken a very serious view of the publication because it is malicious, libelous and a very negative piece of journalism, which is calculated to bring the image of President Rawlings into disrepute and written to demand a retraction of the publication.
“We caution other media who have inadvertently republished the said article to note that they will be held equally liable should we decide to take legal action on the matter”.
