Table of Men member, Franky Owusu Kwabena popularly known as Franky 5, has refuted claims by George Quaye that they are influencing members of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Board and Academy to vote for Piesie Esther for the Artiste of the Year award. 

According to him, they don’t know members of the Board or the Academy. They are just soliciting votes from people in the industry and the general public. 

“Every year, the change the Board. I don’t know any Board member. I am saying to you that we have lobbied many people including ex Board members and our friends in the media. We throw our meat out there, wherever the fish comes from we catch it ,” he noted. 

He said this on Joy FM’s Twitter Spaces show hosted by Kwame Dadzie on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. 

According to Franky, who is also a gospel presenter and artiste manager, Table of Men is dedicated to ensuring that the gospel industry thrives in the wake of challenges.

He said pushing Piesie Esther to win Artiste of the Year at the VGMAs is a way of projecting the gospel. 

He noted that no one from the Board has influenced a Board Member or Academy member of the VGMA to vote for their artiste Piesie Esther.

“Which Board member can come out and say that a gospel artiste has lobbied me with money or with gift?” he asked.  

George Quaye, a former Public Relations Officer for Charterhouse, the organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards and the lead for ImageBureau, intimated in a tweet that it was wrong for the gospel people to influence the Board and Academy Members in anyway.

“‘Gospel people’” going round DESPERATELY doing all they can to “INFLUENCE ” VGMA Academy and Board Members.  “Worldly” acts are focusing on their fans as should be done!  When we talk p3, then Gospel people bore! Smh," George wrote on Facebook.

“Encourage your fans to vote! Lobby them! Push them! Beg! Implore them! Buy them credits! Get them data! Sing for them if you have to! Go from house to house if you must! Just leave the Board and Academy alone to do their work!!!” he added.

In the meantime, Piesie Esther is contesting other artistes such as Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Black Sherif, KiDi, King Promise, Joe Mettle, and Camidoh in the Artiste of the Year category. 

The 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards comes off Saturday May 6, 2023 at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre.