Celebrities have roles in Mahama’s 2020 campaign - Aide

Aide to former President John Mahama, has allayed fears of celebrities who are sympathetic to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), saying they will be a part of the party’s campaign going into the 2020 general elections.

Mrs. Joyce Bawa Mogtari says contrary to strong views expressed by former Deputy General Secretary of the party, Koku Anyidoho, to the effect that never again will the NDC leave its campaign in the hands of people who are not known to the party, the NDC recognizes the contribution of everyone including those in the arts industry.

The former Mahama Campaign Team Spokesperson in the 2016 election, said the NDC sees the arts as a very integral part of the country’s development agenda. In this regard, she assured the NDC has room for all kinds of people who identify with the party, and so will not leave anyone out simply because in the past something went gone wrong.

The lawyer and former Deputy Minister of Transport said even though she does not know the basis upon which her colleague, Koku Anyidoho, made his comments, she is of the opinion that NDC is an all-embracing party which respects the arts industry.

Mr Anyidoho is reported to have blamed the party’s 2016 electoral defeat on a campaign strategy that was largely managed by persons he calls “strangers.”

According to him, about one million voters did not vote for the NDC because of the strategies and personalities the party employed for its campaigns.

The former Deputy General Secretary who was speaking to some journalists on the sidelines of a programme by Cadres of the party in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, stressed that the party will not use the same tactics in the 2020 elections.

“One million of our voters did not vote for us in 2016. They do not have any understanding of the party’s philosophy and the history. Never again should we put our campaign in the hands of strangers. Never again should we hand over the NDC’s campaign to celebrities,” he said.

Since his claim last week many including fanatics of the NDC have wondered the basis upon which the failed General Secretary aspirant made his claim without backing it with facts. Even though none of the celebrities who publicly supported the NDC has commented on the issue Koku’s comment has become topical in the entertainment circles.

Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme, Mrs. Mogtari, said the creative industry has produced very important personalities who have rose to become ministers and deputy ministers and have played their roles with distinction.

She cited the likes of comic actor and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South, Fritz Baffour, who at a point became the Minister of Information under late Prof John Mills administration.

The Aide to former President Mahama, also mentioned actress Dzifa Gomashie, who served as a Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and actress Grace Omaboe aka Maame Dokono, who aspired to be an MP.

“It is always important to a good balance and fair balance and of course I think when it comes to messaging, we will have messages for everybody for the theatre, for the acts, for the music industry and what have you. They serve as key components of our country.

“They are very big exporters of our tourist attraction, they also present our culture to the people who don’t live here, they act all these movies they write many books, they tell so many stories, they are actually very critical partners of stakeholder in our development journey,” she said.