Democracy Hub, the civil society organisation led by lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has filed a defamation suit against Nana Kwame Bediako, the founder and leader of The New Force political movement, popularly known as Cheddar.
The writ, filed at the High Court in Accra on November 13, 2025, names Barker-Vormawor and twelve other members of Democracy Hub as plaintiffs.
They accuse Nana Kwame Bediako of publishing false, malicious, and defamatory statements about the group in a series of videos posted on his X account on or around 25–26 September 2024.
The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the statements are false and defamatory, and that Bediako’s publications—whether by video, written text, or oral repetition to third parties—have unlawfully injured the reputation, integrity, and public standing of each plaintiff.
The suit further demands that Nana Kwame Bediako be ordered to publish a full, clear, and unequivocal retraction and apology in terms approved by the plaintiffs or the court.
The retraction, according to the plaintiffs, must appear on his X account, be delivered in video format with the same form, prominence, and duration as the original impugned videos, and be published in any additional media outlets the court deems appropriate.
Democracy Hub is also claiming general damages for each plaintiff for injury to reputation, distress, humiliation, loss of public confidence, and continuing harm caused by the defendant’s publications.
In addition, the plaintiffs are seeking aggravated and exemplary damages on several grounds: Bediako’s alleged malice; his deliberate projection of insider knowledge to lend credibility to false allegations; the repeated publication of multiple videos; the wide dissemination amplified by his presidential campaign machinery; his refusal to retract or correct the statements; and his private repetition and insistence on the truth of the defamatory allegations.
The plaintiffs have further asked the court to grant a perpetual injunction restraining Bediako, his servants, agents, assigns, or any persons acting on his behalf from further publishing, causing to be published, or repeating the same or similar defamatory statements concerning the plaintiffs.
They are also claiming costs, including legal fees, and any further relief the court may deem fit in the circumstances.
The suit by Democracy Hub comes on the back of claims by Cheddar ahead of the 2024 general elections that an anti-galamsay protest organised by the group was funded by persons with political interests.