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Renowned highlife musician Kwabena Kwabena has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of altering his intellectual property and vocals to falsely imply that he endorsed their candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, during the 2024 election campaign.
Kwabena Kwabena, who previously collaborated with former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the 2008 campaign, expressed his outrage over the NPP’s alleged unauthorised use of his work.
In an emotional statement, the artist detailed how the party manipulated material from 2008, reworking it in a way that suggested he supported Dr. Bawumia’s presidential bid.
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“They picked something I did for former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2008, and they went to the studio to doctor it, cut it, and do whatever they could to make it seem as if I had done it in 2024, suggesting I had endorsed their candidate, Dr. Bawumia, and that was very bad,” he stated.
The artist described the move as both unprofessional and damaging to his reputation.
In an interview with NKG on OnuaShowbiz, Kwabena Kwabena explained that his past collaborations with the NPP, from 2008 to 2016, were driven by his belief in Akufo-Addo’s vision. However, he noted that despite his contributions, the party had not appreciated his efforts during that time.
“When an artist puts their career on the line to campaign for a political party, it is only fair their efforts are appreciated, but the NPP did not show appreciation,” he said.
Kwabena Kwabena clarified that while his previous work with the party was voluntary, the situation in 2024 was different.
He alleged that the NPP used his intellectual property, including his voice, image, and music, without consulting him or reaching an agreement.
“They tried to contact me to have a conversation, but it did not lead to a satisfactory conclusion. Before I realised it, they were advertising with my voice, my intellectual property, my everything, all over Ghana, suggesting I had endorsed their candidate, Dr. Bawumia,” he explained.
The artist criticised the NPP’s actions as “gross unprofessionalism,” revealing that neither he nor his management team had been informed or compensated for the use of his work.
“Nobody called me about it. They just campaigned with my vocals and everything,” Kwabena Kwabena said.
He further alleged that the NPP appeared to assume that their political influence gave them the right to use his material without permission.
The incident has left the artist deeply frustrated, particularly given the lack of agreement or compensation for the use of his work.
He emphasised the importance of respecting artists’ intellectual property and warned against such unethical practices in the future.
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