A popular Ghanaian Gospel musician Philippa Baafi, the composer and singer of the household hit “GO - GO HIGH and I GO DANCE OOO…’’(Meyi M’akyea), and other popular hits shocked her country men and women recently when she joined the ranks of Ghana’s presidential hopeful Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo Addo, the flag bearer of the incumbent New Patriotic Party to participate in a mammoth rally organized at the week-end at  Kasoa in the central region of Ghana.

Recent developments gaining grounds among high ranking party faithfuls of the NPP, and the continued involvement of the budding gospel musician in most of the party’s outdoor programs has confirmed speculations that, the ace musician is flirting with the  party.

Expressing their dismay and suspicion about the ever increasing close contact between Philippa  Baafi and the New Patriotic Party, a cross-section of the entertainment public are wondering why the new patriotic Party is doing everything possible to mix entertainment with politics.

The July 13, 2008 Party rally at the old Kasoa Market in the central region, was an ample evidence of the politicization of entertainment in the country, using entertainment under the guise of popular songs as a bait to attract sympathizers and potential voters for the December 20008 general election. said a concerned foot-soldeir  in the party. “They are using the money to buy musicians without thinking of those of us who have sacrificed for them to come to power”.

Sources close to Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo Addo’s campaign team attributes the growing alliance between top musicians and the party to the creative Prowers of the political  strategist, Mr. Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey, the former minister of tourism and Diaspora relations in the Kuffuor administration.

Events leading to the take-off of the rally itself, was a scenario of musical fiesta, with the mounting of giant loud speakers at vantage points in the Kasoa township, with little regard for possible noise pollution on passersby.

From as early as 8:00 am, songs from the latest hits album of Philippa Baafi has started bluring, reminding the people of what was to come later. The popular “goo –goo- high- we –are moving forward” – lyrics as captivating as it is, was the main toast of the rally.

Kasoa, a fast growing commercial center was chosen strategically for the venue. Considering the enormity of people that attended the event, opponents of the party are crying foul that people were paid to participate in the rally.

Confirming their satisfaction with the level of organization that went into the event several people agreed that they spent much of their time at the  rally grounds because of the entertainment aspect it brought to them, especially the “Kangaroo dance”, (a special danced used by the Black Stars during the recent African Cup of Nations Tournament held in Accra, which all the NPP gurus were displaying including the president himself, His Excellency, President J A Kuffuor.

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