By Gifty Arthur
Supporters who thronged the party’s headquarters were yesterday shocked to the bone when from nowhere, they saw Lucky Mensah, a man whose song, ‘Nkratuo’, has been hijacked by New Patriotic Party (NPP) as its campaign song for the 2012 Presidential elections.
The track which sought to denigrate and ridicule the administration of President Mills was recently danced to by the flag-bearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo Addo, at Kyebi in the Eastern Region, during the endorsement of Mr. Samuel Atta Akyea as the Parliamentary candidate of Abuakwa South.
Lucky Mensah who was in green outfit with a tie in NDC colours worn around his neck, could not grant any interview, but it is believed that he was at the party office to lend support to President Mills.
He looked very excited as he was mobbed by the supporters of the NDC who were happy to see him.
The ace-musician was one of the few musicians, apart from Pastor Lenny Akpadi, who coined his popular ‘Come Back To Me’ song for the then candidate Mills. It will be recalled that all other musicians who got involved in the 2008 campaign, threw their weight behind the NPP flag-bearer.
It was not clear what the contractual agreement between the NDC and Mr. Mensah was at the time, but after the election in 2009, rumours were that Lucky Mensah was not paid for singing for Mills.
As a result, he traveled out of the country in disappointment, with Nana Konadu allegedly paying for his air fare.
Months after he went abroad, Lucky Mensah took the country by storm with a carefully written hit track ‘Nkratuo’ which till date is enjoying massive airplay, probably, due to the lyrics of the song and the linkage with the sitting president.
Recently, it was reported in ‘The Daily Guide’ newspaper that Nana Akufo, together with party faithful in the Eastern Region, danced to this song as other party faithful joined him to the amazement of the crowd.
And it is again reported he was negotiating with NPP to give them the right to the song.
Another incident was reported of a disc jockey who was hired by the Agona Nsabaa branch of the NDC in the Central Region who defied all odds, and played this same song for party supporters at a programme.
The song infuriated the gathering and, as a result, chased the DJ out of the programme.
The mobile Disc Jockey (DJ) who was hired to provide good music as a means of entertaining dignitaries at the swearing-in of the newly- appointed Agona East District Chief Executive (DCE), Martin Luther Obeng, was nearly lynched.
But for the timely intervention of the Public Relations Officer for the Central Region Co-ordinating Council, Isaac Afanyi Donkor, the Disc Jockey would have been skinned alive.
It all began when the DJ, in a bid to further soften the mood of the expectant crowd anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new DCE and the Regional Minister, Ama Benyiwa Doe, inadvertently played a popular track titled ‘Nkratuo’, found on Lucky Mensah’s latest album. The track has become an unofficial campaign song of the opposition NPP.
Lucky Mensah, probably taking a lesson from his experience where he was not rewarded for the song for the NDC, has confronted Mike Ocquaye Junior alias Baby Ajasco, the then parliamentary candidate for Dome-Kwabenya, for using ‘Nkratuo’ for his campaign.
News making rounds is that the NPP is planning to use ‘Nkratuo’ as its main campaign song for the 2012 election.
