Claim: A photo showing Dr Bawumia holding a pig head

Source: Malik Basintale

Verdict: Manipulated

Researched by Gifty Tracy Aminu 

Have you seen an alleged picture of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in a white thobe and a keffiyeh while holding a pig head in one hand and a drink in the other?

In the lead up to the 2024 general elections on December 7,2024, there has been an increase in targeted use of synthetic content on social media to manipulate public opinion and achieve political ends.

The most recent incident involves a photo shared by Malik Basintale, the deputy National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). 

Malik Basintale on September 2, 2024, shared the photo showing the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, which he described as “Harraaam!!” as it goes against the Islamic faith because Dr Bawumia is a practicing Muslim. The post has since garnered over 7,000 interactions including emojis, comments and shares. 

Fig 1: Photo shared by Malik Basintale

This fact-check report seeks to verify the authenticity of the photo. 

Background

Recently, social media has been flooded with unsubstantiated narratives about the flagbearers of the two major political parties by activists belonging to either side. 

One instance is the alleged description and reference of former President John Dramani Mahama as a drunkard. 

A fake statement circulating with the official letterhead of the NDC and supposedly signed by the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, sought to respond to the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, for allegedly calling the former President a drunkard. 

Meanwhile, the MP has denied calling Mahama a drunkard, while the General Secretary has also denied authorship of the statement responding to Atta Akyea. 

Fact-Check 

To verify the authenticity of this photo, GhanaFact used digital tools including Foto Forensics, Fake Image Detector, and hugging face software. 

Using the Fake Image Detector revealed that the image is computer-generated or likely a modified image, after identifying inconsistencies based on Error Level Analysis (ELA). 

 

Fig 2: Image analysis by Fake Image Detector

Also the tool, Hugging Face showed the content is 80% artificial and 20% human interference.

Fig 3: Image analysis by Hugging Face

Foto Forensic showed an Error Level Analysis indicating that the photo of the flagbearer of the NPP is manipulated. 

Fig 4: Image analysis by FotoForensic

What is Error Level Analysis?

Error Level Analysis (ELA) permits identifying areas within an image that are at different compression levels. With JPEG images, the entire picture should be at roughly the same level. If a section of the image is at a significantly different error level, then it likely indicates a digital modification.

Verdict

Therefore, the alleged photo of the Vice President is manipulated and fake.