The Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Board has found itself addressing a wave of inquiries and some level of controversy surrounding the nominations for this year's awards, specifically concerning the absence of King Paluta's popular track, 'Makoma,' from the 'Popular Song of the Year' category. In response, the Board, through official statements and press releases, has clarified the situation, citing a long-standing rule that limits the number of nominations an artist can receive per category.

According to Robert Klah, Head of Communications and Public Events at Charterhouse, the organization behind the TGMAs, the 'one-song-per-category' rule is in place to ensure fairness and prevent vote-splitting among an artist's multiple entries. The only exceptions to this rule are categories such as Best Collaboration, Best International Collaboration, and Best Music Video, where the nature of the category inherently involves multiple contributors.

In the case of King Paluta, the Board acknowledged that he had two songs, 'Aseda' and 'Makoma,' vying for consideration in categories that adhere to the one-song limit. To determine which song would be nominated, the Board conducted research, analyzing streaming numbers from various digital platforms and airplay data from 175 radio stations across Ghana. This data-driven approach led them to conclude that 'Aseda' was the more popular song, resulting in its nomination for both 'Highlife Song of the Year' and 'Most Popular Song of the Year.' In a press release sighted by GhanaWeb, the TGMA board further emphasized that evaluating both songs and applying the one-song-per-category rule was neccessary.

The 'one-song-per-category' rule isn't a new concept for the TGMAs. The Board emphasized that this rule has been in effect since 2016. Back then, Bisa Kdei had two major hits, 'Mansa' and 'Brother Brother,' but only 'Mansa' received a nomination. Despite speculation that 'Brother Brother' was excluded due to explicit content, the decision was actually based on Bisa Kdei's preference, as he chose to submit 'Mansa' after being informed of the one-song limit. While the Board has relaxed this rule in some subsequent years, it appears to have been reinstated for this year's awards.

The TGMA Board hopes that this clarification will address the concerns surrounding King Paluta's 'Makoma' and provide a better understanding of the rules and processes involved in the nomination process. They also acknowledged that, in previous years, this rule was relaxed on certain occasions, allowing artistes to have multiple songs nominated in the same category. However, the current policy at the TGMAs is to strictly adhere to it.