Abeiku Santana On Why He Campaigned For Prez Mahama In The 2012 Prez Elections

At long last, ace broadcaster, Abeiku Santana of OK FM, has disclosed the real reason and events that led to his open endorsement and campaign for NDC’s Presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, in the 2012 presidential elections.

During the 2012 national polls, Abeiku Santana came public to endorse and to campaign for John Dramani Mahama, but did not give full details of what made him take that stand or decision.

At long last, the Santana man has finally given reasons behind his action. Explaining events that compelled him to openly announce his support for John Dramani Mahama, he said: “This is what happened. I went to a programme and a Daily Guide newspaper reporter saw me wearing candidate Mahama T-shirt. He quickly snapped me with his camera and put it on the internet – Facebook.

“Later, one Charles Takyi Boadu sent me a Whatsapp message that ‘we have your picture wearing candidate Mahama’s T-shirt, how do you respond to this? Watch out, it’s coming out soon!’

So I saw an agenda that was going to destroy me, quickly I came out to endorse it properly.”

Abeiku continued to disclose that he called Shamima of Citi FM and told her that they should grant him an interview – that, he has formed a group called Youth for Mahama “In other words, I’ve endorsed candidate Mahama. So they interviewed me.

Then TV3 also called me and I confirmed to them. The following day, the news had spread all over and the calls started flooding in on my phone.”

Abeiku also disagreed with the school of thought that broadcasters should not openly show or announce their affiliation with a political party they belong to or sympathize more with.

“Our democratization process since 1992 is still evolving. First, you will not hear a man of God talking about politics but today it’s happening. In Ghana there are newspapers that belongs to political parties, what about that? “There are radio stations that belong to a politician or a political party, what about that? Don’t we know about this? We are simply being hypocrites! Look, it’s like fashion, when it evolves, our older folks criticize it and say ‘look at what the children are wearing but now, the old folks dress like us. Culture as we say is dynamic, politics is too.”

He also challenged those broadcasters, who condemned his conduct, stating: “for those who are critiquing broadcasters or journalists who make their political affiliations public, it’s a matter of time. They will find themselves doing it. You wait! They will follow suit someday and that will even strengthen our democratization process!”

Abeiku admitted in all sincerity that his boss frowned upon his conduct. “My employer was very disappointed! It could have cost me my job! I was called one day and asked what I have to say regards my name in the papers that I’m campaigning for candidate Mahama because I’m not supposed to do so due to my job as a broadcaster.

Immediately, I knelt down in front of my boss and apologized and explained how it all happened. But at the end of the day, I promised my employer it won’t happen again. I could have been sacked".

He also added that he made lots of enemies for himself. “Yes! I made lots of enemies for myself! You know Ghana and the way people have taken this political game. I recall when I was campaigning for Mahama, my boss warned me not to say anything against any other political party on air".

“I’m very sure during the election the NPP people were monitoring me to see if I could say just one thing, they would have dealt with me paa (laughs out loud). But honestly I have a lot of NPP friends. A lot!”

Would Abeiku Santana campaign for NPP come 2016, he told GHbase.com “lets cross the bridge when we get there.”



Source: GHbase.com