COKA urges media to clamp down on political insults

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, has appealed to media practitioners to help rid the airwaves of political insults and promote more responsible public discourse.

According to him, the growing use of abusive language by political actors was raising tensions and undermining the quality of political discussions in the country.

“I entreat the media to come together and wage a crusade against persons with the penchant of hurling insults on their political opponents,” he said, stressing that “this is essential as it will tone down the political temperature and safeguard the nation's peace and security as well.”

Mr Appiah, popularly known as COKA, made the call when he interacted with some media practitioners in Kumasi last Saturday.

The meeting was organised to thank the media for their support and seek their cooperation as the newly elected regional executives begin their work.

He disclosed that the party had cautioned its communicators against engaging in abusive political discourse, urging them to adopt a more constructive approach to political communication.

“If you want to have a good political life, then you must desist from politics of insults,” he said.

Mr Appiah also appealed to hosts of political programmes on radio and television to liaise with the party's Regional Director of Communications when selecting NPP communicators for their platforms.

He explained that such collaboration would ensure that communicators with the appropriate knowledge and expertise were assigned to discuss specific national issues and effectively present the party's position.

“We want to work effectively with the media to improve political discourse within the region. As a result, we call for the needed cooperation and assistance from the media in this regard,” he stated.

Partnership

The NPP regional chairman said the new leadership was committed to establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the media to promote the party's alternative policies and programmes ahead of the 2028 general election.

He said the media remained critical to the party's efforts to reconnect with Ghanaians, noting that effective communication of its policy alternatives would largely depend on access to media platforms.

“it is through your platforms that we can sell our messages to win back the hearts of Ghanaians,” he said.

Mr Appiah described the media as an indispensable part of Ghana's political ecosystem and assured practitioners that the new regional leadership would continue to engage and collaborate with them.

“The new leadership revere the media so much and will continue to work with them in the interest of the party,” he stated.