Here’s all you need to know on why NPP ‘thugs’ stormed UTV studio and disrupted live show

In a disturbing incident that occurred on Saturday, October 7, 2023, a group of individuals believed to be affiliated with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) forcibly entered the premises of Accra-based United Television (UTV).

The intruders disrupted the live broadcast of the station’s late-night entertainment show, ‘United Showbiz,’ leading to a temporary suspension of the program.

Law enforcement authorities have since apprehended 16 suspects in connection with this intrusion.

The attack has garnered widespread condemnation from various quarters, including the Ministry of Information, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), and the National Media Commission (NMC).

The group of youths involved in the incident claimed that they sought inclusion in the program due to their perception that it had transitioned into a political show, with unfavorable comments about the Akufo-Addo/Dr. Bawumia government.

Their grievances revolved around an alleged incident where musician and political activist, Kwame A Plus, tore a letter intended for UTV’s management, aimed at reorienting the show.

The group of NPP supporters subsequently took over the seats originally reserved for guests and demanded an unqualified apology from A Plus. They expressed concerns about the show’s evolving political nature and the lack of adequate representation from the NPP.

One of their leaders said, “A Plus sat here and tore our document from our party [NPP] that seeks to streamline the show, that is our party property, we need him to render an unqualified apology. They cannot be sitting here and doing politics. We know this programme is supposed to be a showbiz programme, personally, I love the programme, we enjoy it because it’s an entertainment programme. But recently, we have realised that it’s turning from an entertainment programme to a strict political programme, and we have seen that there are so many NDC people on the show, but we are not finding an NPP person.”

“We saw what the former hostess Nana Ama McBrown was doing, and it was quite fantastic. It is our constitutional right to protect our party. What A Plus did was a gross disrespect to our party. You have [through this programme] insulted our General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong, our President and his vice”.

After the disturbance was brought under control, the hostess, MzGee, explained the situation to viewers of UTV, apologizing for the disruption.

She emphasized that ‘United Showbiz’ primarily focused on entertainment but occasionally discussed political matters, especially when they intersected with the creative arts industry.

“We had some uninvited guests who came to disrupt our show, we didn’t plan to go on that long break, but we were forced to break due to the invasion. I’m sure you have seen some of the visuals online, we don’t know who they were and who sent them. Please forgive us for the break, but everyone is ok. This is an entertainment show, but some of our people in the creative arts joined the recent demonstrations, how can we not talk about it?”

“We don’t do politics, but when there’s a trending political issue which concerns members in the creative industry, we discuss it, because we also buy fuel, we pay tax. Members in the creative industry are also concerned with developmental issues in the country. If those in the creative arts talk about such political issues with entertainment linings, it doesn’t mean we are doing politics”.

Gospel artist Sonnie Badu, who was scheduled to appear on the program, described the security alert and the intrusion, highlighting the importance of prioritizing safety.

He expressed regret at not being able to participate and conveyed his apologies, vowing to return on a future occasion.

“I was looking forward to being on United Showbiz, but we had a serious security alert, my team decided that we shouldn’t go in. We saw about 50 thugs invading the premises and attacked some of the workers and producers. One of the producers told us to leave the premises, I was hoping to be on the show but safety first, I’m so sorry, hopefully, one day I will get there. God bless you”.

The incident also reportedly resulted in the assault of UTV show’s director of photography and one of its producers, leaving MzGee and the guests traumatized.