The Founder/Executive Director of Youth Icons Ghana, a youth oriented non-governmental organization committed to the empowerment of the youth of Ghana, has described as childish the unnecessary smear campaign been championed by Mark Okraku Mante of TV3 mentor fame against Obour.

Speaking in an interview with BEATWAVES, Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa said he was surprised by Mark’s behaviour, explaining that Mark was taking every single opportunity on radio or TV to smite the newly-elected President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Obour.

He lamented, “This unnecessary attacks and unfair comments began, as part of what I perceived and is obviously a smear campaign against Obour, prior to elections. But I felt that it was all part of the campaign since he Mark had the right to support any of the candidates contesting the presidency with Gyedu Blay Ambulley as his preferred candidate.

“Some of his comments were very insulting, referring to a young adult in his late twenties as a small boy who lacked experience. Youth Icons Ghana had great interest in this election because Obour happened to be an executive icon and ambassador of our organization.

Secondly, the contest provided us a great opportunity to push our youth for presidency campaign agendas which sought to encourage young people to aspire for higher positions without feeling intimidated. Obour’s decision to contest was great news to us therefore.”

He said, after a well deserved victory through a well organized congress and elections, supervised by the electoral commission of Ghana in a transparent, free and fair manner, Mark Okraku Mante still could not come to terms with the fact that the young man was President.

He stressed, “What Mark is doing amounts to childishness and is insulting the intelligence of the 139 delegates of MUSIGA who voted in the elections. What even amazes me is that I gather he is not even a member of MUSIGA and so what is his problem. After all the negative comments, the good people of the union saw wisdom in voting for Obour as the president, with his preferred candidate securing just 20 votes.

“Who made Mark a judge over MUSIGA? He should give us a break and stop those unwarranted attacks on the young man and leave him alone to concentrate on his work.

Even if he has personal scores to settle with Obour, the way he is going about it simply points to envy and hate. Mark should eat a humble pie and learn to be a good sports man. I think his very disrespectful comments of Obour and his over concentrating to defame the young man led to the humiliating defeat of his candidate Gyedu Blay Ambulley. I was thinking he was going to be humble enough to call Obour and congratulate him but he seems to find it difficult”.

Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa said it was the same fate Andre Dede Ayew suffered when he was invited to play for the Senior National Team during the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana, with some fans claiming he was too young to play while others insinuated that he was invited due to his father’s influence.

He indicated that a year after the tournament, the same alleged “small boy” Dede Ayew led Ghana to win the world under 20 championship and followed it up with a five star performance at the 2010 world cup in South Africa.

He said he defended Dede just as he was doing for Obour, and called on the youth of Ghana to avoid people who tried to suppress and prevent them from aspiring higher.

He said the same people who said Dede was a small boy, were the very people who hailed and adored players like Lionel Merci of Barcelona and Argentina fame, also a young man, adding that this made it difficult for one to appreciate their arguments.

He indicated that it was no crime to be young and that young people had every right to aspire for greater heights. He advised Mark Okraku Mante to spare the good people of Ghana his lamentations and channel his energies towards preparing his candidate for the next election in 2015, if he would be still interested.

In a very calm demeanour, Nana Osei-Darkwa jokingly said, “Whether Okraku likes it or not, Obour is the President of MUSIGA and that is it. What is so difficult about that for him to understand? In any case is he saying that the delegates lacked judgment? Is that what he wants us to believe, let him come clear.

“Sometimes his arguments make me think the contest was about who has been singing for long, but my understanding of the contest was more of administration than singing. I was in Tamale to witness the congress and saw the great work Obour did.”

He highly commended Nana Tuffour, who came second in the contest, describing him as a great sports man.

He promised Youth Icons Ghana’s support to Obour and young Ghanaians, encouraging them to believe in themselves and aspire for greatness.

Nana Osei-Darkwa was full of praise for Obour for not responding to all the unfair comments and insults from Okraku.

Quoting his mentor Dr Martin Luther King Jr., he noted, “We must meet the forces of hate with love”.

He also had a word of advice for Okraku Mante, saying, “The important thing about a man is not the colour of his skin, age, or texture of his hair, but the content of his character and quality of his soul.”