Some members of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), have condemned what they describe as a diabolic strategy used by some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to trick them into endorsing the candidature of President John Mahama for the November polls in a video advertisement.
According to them, the advertising agency that worked on the video which they were told was to sensitize students about the Electoral Commission’s limited registration exercise, was only skewed to tarnish their image, and to score cheap political points.
The TESCON members in the video included Akosua Anoteewa, the TESCON Women’s Commissioner of the University of Ghana, and other known student members of the NPP namely Emmanuel Adu Osei, Kinsley Boakye, Lydia Mensah and a lady referred to as Michelle.
In a statement signed by the students in the video, they explained that on Sunday, May, 1 2016, they were approached by a group of people who said they were non-political and that they had come from the office of the Electoral Commission to inquire about the ongoing registration exercise.
According to the students, the so called non-political group also indicated that they wanted to make a short video for the university community to sensitize students about the registration exercise. But the TESCON students say the video ended with an NDC song and a message endorsing the candidature of President Mahama.
“They outsmarted us and strategically lured all those they spoke with to say, register to transform Ghana which indirectly was in conformity with the theme or slogan of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) with regards to the limited registration. When they got to me (Akosua Anoteewa), I categorically asked whether they were affiliated to any political party but they said No because I knew the position I hold as the women’s commissioner of TESCON was a delicate one and for that, must do things carefully,” they statement explained.
The students say the video is inappropriate and does not qualify to be disseminated on TV and social media platforms, adding that they had no hand in the circulation of the video which implied that they supported President Mahama.
Find below their full statement
PRESS RELEASE FROM A GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN PRESIDENT JDM’S ADVERTISING VIDEO INAPPROPRIATELY.
Good morning colleague students, the media houses present, ladies and gentlemen, all protocol duly observed. The purpose of this meeting this morning is about some clarifications on a video which has the intension behind it changed to suit a parochial interest of a certain advertising agency to tarnish the images of innocent ones AKOSUA ANOTEEWA, the women’s commissioner of the university of Ghana NPP students, EMMANUEL ADU OSEI, KINSLEY BOAKYE, LYDIA MENSAH and MICHELLE .
The incident happened on the 1st May 2016 which was a Sunday at the only registration center on the UNIVERSITY OF GHANA campus by then specifically in front of the Legon main hall which had been over crowded by persons who wanted to get their ID cards done, some executives and members of both NPP and NDC students on campus and some other persons who saw the process relevant.
This group of people who claimed to be NON-POLITICAL said they had come from the office of the ELECTORAL COMMISSION of Ghana to enquire about the ongoing LIMITED REGISTRATION exercise since there had been issues with the number of machines used and the size of the population on the university of Ghana campus and also to make a short VIDEO which was to be used within the UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY to draw the attention of all students to the fact that, the exercise had already begun at the place of the interview which can be clearly seen in the video.
In the course of the interview, they OUTSMARTED AND STRATEGICALLY lured all those they spoke with to say, REGISTER TO TRANSFORM GHANA which indirectly was in conformity with the theme or slogan of the NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC) with regards to the limited registration.
When they got to me (Akosua Anoteewa), I categorically asked whether they were affiliated to any political party but they said NO because I knew the position I hold as the WOMEN’S COMMISSIONER of TESCON was a delicate one and for that, must do things carefully.
So I insisted that, what I would like to say is REGISTER TO CAUSE A POSITIVE CHANGE TO GHANA. It got to the next day and all that we saw was a manipulated and an edited piece of the video with HIS EXCELLENCY JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA and some other group of people showing a clear declaration of our support to Prez Mahama and the NDC whiles we were never told that such a video was going to be made with the interviews they conducted.
In fact its quite disheartening because they want to play on our intelligence since they never told us the real intension behind that coverage.
With this, we want to tell the entire Ghanaian populace that the video is inappropriate and does not qualify to be used on any social media platforms as well as TV stations. The people involved have no hand in the circulating video which says we support PRESIDENT MAHAMA and for that all should VOTE PRESIDENT JDM. It is an unprofessional strategy and diabolic means the ADVERTISING AGENCY employed cheaply. We will continue to defend this because the TRUTH must always stand. Thank you
…..signed…..
All the students in the video. (Akosua Anoteewa, Emmanuel Adu Osei, Kinsley Boakye, Lydia Mensah, Michelle)
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