EFL leader Ernesto Yeboah declines nomination for most influential young Ghanaian award

Commander-in-Chief of the Economic Fighters League, Ernesto Yeboah, has rejected a nomination for the most influential young Ghanaian award.

He explained he cannot participate in the award scheme because his organisation is young therefore, any applause can be deferred.

He, however, thanked organisers of the scheme, Avance Media for their recognition.

Fighter-General of the Economic Fighters League, Hardi Yakubu in a statement urged all persons to stop voting for Mr Yeboah since he is no longer participating in the scheme.

In October 2019, pan-African news portal, face2faceafrica.com named Ghana’s EFL leader among five charismatic young Africans leading the charge for government accountability.

The list included South Africa’s firebrand Julius Malema.

Ernesto Yeboah officially started the Economic Fighters League in 2016.

“Nationalism, socialism, and Pan-Africanism,” said Yeboah, listing the three pillars of Nkrumahism.

In just three years, the staunchly Nkrumahist organization now has a membership of approximately 2,500 and is present in all major towns and cities throughout Ghana. “Currently I’d say we are an urban-based organization, which is not desirable,” said Yeboah.

However, despite their lack of financial resources — even Yeboah still has to work a day job as a communications consultant — the Fighters have struck fertile ground by tapping into the general population’s growing discontent with Ghana’s two-party system.

The Fighters began by expressing their distrust in Ghana’s “theoretical democracy.” In a country where over forty distinct languages are spoken, communicating this idea can be a challenge. So the Fighters use the word sakawa, which is from Ghana’s most widely spoken language, Twi, and means “fake” or “counterfeit.” This idea points to one of their most ambitious goals.

In mid-2019 Ernesto Yeboah went to Ghana’s parliament to hear lawmakers debate why they needed a controversial new $200 million legislative chamber.

After hearing one parliamentarian say “we can’t sit under trees to do our work”, Yeboah burst into chants of a social media hashtag he had helped start, #DropThatChamber.

He was arrested by security on sight. But that only meant more people got to know his name and the Economic Fighters League (EFL) that he leads.

Here are excerpts of the statement he issued