The Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Board has officially responded to the growing buzz around King Paluta’s hit single “Makoma” and its absence from this year’s nominations list.
In a statement issued by Robert Klah, Head of Communications and Public Events at Charterhouse, the organizers of TGMA, the Board firmly denied rumors suggesting that the song’s alleged profanity was the reason behind its omission. Instead, the explanation pointed to a long-standing rule that affects the nomination process.
“Each artiste can have only one song per category, except for Best Collaboration, Best International Collaboration, and Best Music Video,” the statement clarified.
This policy, according to the Board, is meant to prevent vote-splitting and give artists a stronger chance of winning in their respective categories. When applied to King Paluta, the rule required a selection between his two charting songs: “Aseda” and “Makoma.”
Based on a combination of streaming numbers and radio airplay across 175 stations nationwide, the Board concluded that “Aseda” had more traction and thus earned the nod for categories like Highlife Song of the Year and Most Popular Song of the Year.
Not a New Policy
The statement also emphasized that this rule is not a new development. It was first introduced in 2016, when highlife artist Bisa Kdei had to choose between his two hit songs, “Mansa” and “Brother Brother.” In that case, “Mansa” was submitted based on the same one-artist-one-song rule.
While the Board has occasionally relaxed the rule in past years, it appears that the 2025 edition (TGMA26) has brought back stricter enforcement, leading to “Makoma” being excluded despite its popularity.
“This rule ensures fairness and clarity in the nomination process,” the Board stated.
In Summary:
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King Paluta’s “Makoma” was not disqualified due to profanity.
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The TGMA rules allow only one song per artist per category.
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“Aseda” was considered more popular based on streaming and radio airplay.
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The policy has been in place since 2016, though it has been inconsistently applied over the years.
As the TGMA26 awards night draws closer, fans and industry players alike will be watching closely to see how these decisions play out on the big stage.
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