"NPP 2016" chants halts screening of 'Divine Intelligence' movie

The screening of Divine Intelligence to a selected group of 'top' Ghanaians and some Ministers of God at the Radisson Hotel in the City of London on the night of Thursday, November 26, 2015, was interrupted by an unusually despicable occurrence.

The audience were glued to their seats listening attentively and with utmost interest to the nearly four-minute address by a police inspector to his four junior officers on the task on hand, which formed the initial scene of the movie and somewhat defined the movie's plot with much suspense and anticipation.

However, when the scene faded into the next, the anxiety and expectation of the audience was abruptly cut short.

The next scene featured the much talked-about Nissan Micra with the controversial "NPP" registration plate. To the shock and confusion of almost everyone present (which numbered about 25 in total), as soon as the car showed up, a few people among the audience started chanting, "NPP, NPP, NPP-2016" and repeated the chant pattern twice, as if it had been rehearsed beforehand.

About a minute later, an official of the hotel, who turned out to be the deputy manager, entered the room and had a tete-a-tete with the co-producer of the film, Gerard Guillaume, who appeared to be the coordinator or organiser of the event.

The hotel official then announced to the audience that he regretted the screening had to be ended for security reasons.

The guests were visibly disappointed and upset, with some of them audibly chastizing the 'intruders' for such uncalled-for conduct.

Believed to have been invited to the screening were NPP's presidential candidate, Nana Akuffo Addo, NDC UK Chairman, Mr Kofi Kwakye, NPP UK Chairman, Mr Michael Ansah, UK Pro NDC Group "Mahama for 2016" Leader, Jonathan Pinkrong, PHCC Founder and Execitive Producer of Divine Intelligence, Rev Moses Asare, KICC Founder, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, Karis Ministries Founder, Rev Dr David Antwi, ICGC Kings Temple Pastor, Rev Edwin Donkor, among others.

The writer and director of the movie, Sammy Ankrah, was, however, not present at the screening.

It is believed that the special screening of the movie was to dismiss the widely reported allegations and speculations that the producers of the movie have been solicited to endorse NPP's 2016 Election Campaign.

Commenting on the sad occurrence later, staunch NDC sympathiser, Dominic Abayitey described the conduct of the NPP 'chanters' as childish and immature, unbefitting of such presumably educated, high level professionals.

Speaking to journalist Michelle Johnson, on Sunday, Mr Abayitey said he was present at the NPP's Fundraising Dinner with Nana Addo at the Boleyn Banqueting Suite in East London last weekend on invitation from an NPP friend. He claimed that they had evidence that Nana Addo tried to lobby for the movie's endorsement through the movie's executive producer, Rev Moses Asare, but was turned down.

"I entered the banquet hall with my NPP friend who invited me. One or two people at our table knew me already because of that Peckham incident and started pointing fingers at me. Together with my friend, they all started making fun of me saying, "whether you like it or not, in 2016, Your Realistic Opportunity Ever is NPP.

The endorsement is sealed." They were referring to that NPP car in the movie. We laughed and I told them, look, we have evidence that even your Nana Addo himself tried to lobby for Divine Intelligence endorsement through Rev Moses Asare, the executive producer of the movie, but was turned down. Go get a better campaign message and stop trying to hijack someone's movie to buttress your campaign."

"I could see Nana Addo was really counting on this endorsement because in his speech at the dinner, he went on and on that NDC was not talking about corruption these days. This means he only has one campaign message - corruption, I believe it's the reason he wants this movie's endorsement to boost it."

When the journalist asked him whether such endorsement has any impact on the campaign message and hence the electorate, he replied, "Yes. Massive. You need to understand the dynamics of politics to appreciate this. Why do you think we had John Dumelo on the campaign platform in President Mahama's recent campaign tour of the Volta Region?

But what the NPP is doing is illegal, that is why we are exposing it to nullify the effect. They are capitalizing on a coincidence of a car bearing NPP in the movie to hijack, not just one person, but the entire movie to endorse their campaign. They are using the close relationship of some of their executives with the movie producers, and that to me, is not only illegal, but criminal."

Check the trailer of Divine Intelligence here: