Shalimar Abbiusi, former spokesperson for the New Force Movement, has disclosed that she was neither formally contracted nor paid for her role with the political movement.
Speaking on the Konnected Minds Podcast on YouTube on Friday, May 15, Shalimar said her involvement with the group began unexpectedly during a relief effort in the Volta Region and that she initially had no idea it was politically connected.
“I obviously didn’t know there was politics behind it,” she said, adding that there was “no contract in place” and that she “was not paid” for the work she did, including the video that later gained widespread attention.
According to her, she first encountered members of the movement during a donation exercise for flood victims.
“We saw some other people come out to donate and show support, and that happened to be the New Force people. They came to donate as well… that was the first time I had met them,” she recounted.
Shalimar explained that after subsequent meetings, she accepted the spokesperson role, believing she would be involved in humanitarian work.
“We decided to have a meeting, and that is when I was offered the role as spokesperson for the movement. I thought I was going to be the face of a humanitarian project,” she said.
She also disclosed that the promotional video that later went viral was filmed before any formal agreement had been reached.
“There was no contract in place or anything when that video was shot. They said let’s do a try and see how it comes across on camera,” she said.
Shalimar said the video attracted significant attention online, generating 1.2 million views on X within 24 hours of its release.
According to her, the attention surrounding the video eventually led to immigration issues and her deportation.
Despite concerns from family members, she said she later returned to Ghana after being cleared by the courts.
“I know I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve been vindicated by a court judgment. I don’t have any charges here in Ghana,” she stated.
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