Entertainment pundit, Nana Frimpong Ziega, has made strong allegations against board members of Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), claiming that some of the members engage in corrupt practices that influence nominations and awards.
According to Nana Ziega, there is a culture of favouritism and corrupt practices behind the scenes, which he believes has now extended to the exclusion of King Paluta’s hit song ‘Makoma’ from key categories.
Speaking on Neat FM, Ziega referenced past incidents where artistes were allegedly sidelined due to their refusal to comply with questionable demands made by members of the awards board.
He began by citing Skrewfaze, who, according to him, was denied a nomination for the ‘New Artiste of the Year’ category after refusing to pay a bribe to a board member.
“Skrewfaze said that a member of the Ghana Music Awards Board asked him to pay money in order to be nominated for the ‘New Artiste of the Year’ award. Because he refused to pay, his name was removed from consideration, and his slot was given to King Ayisoba,” Ziega alleged.
He further pointed out that gospel musician Grace Ashly also fell victim to such manipulations when her song ‘Gyese Nyame Bemu’ was allegedly ignored by the board despite its popularity at the time.
Nana Ziega also claimed that Guru’s hit song ‘Lapaz Toyota,’ arguably one of the biggest songs of its time, was excluded from the nominations list due to what he described as ‘industry politics’.
He claimed that Guru was approached by a board member who wanted to manage him, and when the musician refused, his song was deliberately left out of the awards.
“Lapaz Toyota, which was the most popular song at the time, was excluded from nominations because Guru declined to let a board member from the Ghana Music Awards manage him. As a result, the board member ensured that Guru’s hit song was taken off the list,” Nana Ziega alleged.
He believes these past incidents align with what is currently happening with King Paluta’s ‘Makoma’ in the lead-up to the 2025 TGMAs.
You can also watch videos from the unveiling of the 2025 TGMA nominees on GhanaWeb TV below:
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