The Accra High Court has thrown out a defamation suit brought by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Randy Abbey, against the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, citing procedural defects.
The ruling, delivered on Monday, January 19, 2026, by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Baasit, faulted the manner in which the writ was filed. The court noted that the suit was issued by the Legal Department of COCOBOD, with the Director of Legal representing Abbey, despite COCOBOD not being a party to the action.
According to the court, defamation is an impersonal action and must be pursued strictly in an individual’s personal capacity, including the engagement of a private legal practitioner.
“The Plaintiff, having sued in his personal capacity, ought to procure the services of a private legal practitioner to represent him,” the court stated, before dismissing the writ and statement of claim as procedurally defective.
Shortly after the ruling, Abbey refiled the case, this time through a private lawyer.
Abbey first dragged Abronye to court in August 2025, demanding GH¢20 million in damages over comments allegedly made on the radio.
He claimed the remarks portrayed him in a negative light, including claims that he visited cocoa farms and interacted with farmers using a chair conveyed from Accra.
