Asiedu Nketiah and Ntim Fordjour shared a light-hearted moment at SONA 2026
A lighthearted exchange outside the Chamber of Parliament briefly cut through the ‘chaos’ that had filled the House during President John Dramani Mahama’s State of the Nation Address on February 27, 2026.
After the Minority’s protest during the SONA, cameras captured a warm and unexpected moment of camaraderie between MPs from opposite sides of the aisle.
Rev John Ntim Fordjour, Member of Parliament for Assin South, was seen congratulating Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, MP for the Awutu Senya West Constituency, for what he described as her timely intervention when fishermen were attacked and robbed by armed men off the coast.
In a display of cross-party civility, Ntim Fordjour commended her efforts in addressing the concerns of the affected fishing communities.
Watch how Mahama, veep reacted to Minority MPs’ cocoa gift to them
As the two interacted, National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, walked into the scene. The Assin South MP did not hesitate to extend pleasantries to him as well, humorously referring to Asiedu Nketiah as “His Excellency.”
The banter did not end there. Spotting the cocoa pod in Ntim Fordjour’s hand, Asiedu Nketiah teased him, saying, “Do you know cocoa is the symbol of UP… and there’s UP in town?”
The statement was intended as a playful jab, but it appeared the NDC National Chairman may have mixed up party symbols in the process.
The United Progressive Party (UP) is, in fact, symbolised by a butterfly, while the cocoa symbol belongs to the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), founded by the late Akua Donkor.
The easygoing moment stood in contrast to what had unfolded earlier in the day inside the Chamber.
Minority Members of Parliament had turned up in coordinated black outfits as they staged a protest during the President’s address.
Clad in black attire and matching kente sashes, the Minority Caucus, led by Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, registered their dissent as President Mahama entered the House to fulfil his constitutional duty under Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution.
The protest carried a specific message. The sashes worn by the New Patriotic Party MPs bore the inscription “Cocoa Akuafo Yayɛ Mobo Dodo,” a Twi phrase translated to mean that “cocoa farmers have become so pitiful.”
The inscription was a direct reference to the recent reduction in the farmgate price of cocoa announced by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Watch the video below:
Watch the heartwarming moment as Gizella Tetteh, Rev Ntim Fordjour, and Asiedu Nketia exchange pleasantries after SONA2026
A playful jab from Asiedu Nketia to Rev. Fordjour: “Do you know cocoa is the symbol of UP… and there’s UP in town?” 😄#JoyDigital #JoyNewsFocus pic.twitter.com/EUIVM6uhkl— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) February 27, 2026
Watch NPP MPs in all-black as President Mahama delivers 2026 SONA
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