Ghanaian hiplife recording artiste Sidney Kofi Ofori popularly called Barima Sidney has rendered an apology to ex-President John Dramani Mahama for people linking him to the track ‘Papa No’ three years ago.

According to him, the song was not intended for Mr. Mahama, as many Ghanaians claimed. Many partly blamed the song for the former president's defeat in the 2020 elections.

Explaining how the song came about, Barima Sidney said that it was inspired by a social media trend during that period. He emphasised that nobody was a target, as he was simply continuing with his usual music.

However, some individuals inserted Mr. Mahama's pictures onto the track, and the musician clarified that he was unaware of it.

“I heard two ladies conversing on social media about ‘Papa No’ and we all know those two celebrities, Gloria Kani and Tracey Boakye. So, when I heard of Papa No, I was like, this is very interesting. Let me just work on something. So, I just went to the studio one night from 12 to 7 a.m.; we just released it, and by 9:00, it was all over.

“So, I didn’t have anybody in mind, but then some people gathered some rashes of the former president and put it behind the music, and they were using it to promote their own stuff. So, at the end of the day, people thought it was me. I had no idea.” 

As a result, Barima Sidney, during an interview on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning show on Wednesday, apologised to the NDC flagbearer for any harm caused.

“I’ll take this opportunity to apologise to the former President John Mahama. I mean, it wasn’t about him, and I wasn’t the one who did those videos and rashes that circulated on social media. ‘Papa No’ goes to everybody,” the musician pleaded.

The ‘African Money’ hitmaker also revealed that he voted for the NPP in 2020 because he believed in Akufo-Addo’s policies and trusted they would improve Ghana’s economy.

He further said that he has no regrets about voting for the NPP and commended President Akufo-Addo for implementing the Free SHS policy. He pleaded that it should not be scrapped by any party that may assume power in the upcoming election later this year.

Nevertheless, Barima Sidney says he is yet to conclude his decisions on which party to vote for, as he is waiting to listen to the manifestoes of all parties before making his verdict.