Below are claims worked on by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition on Day 3 of our operations.

  • The picture of Stonebwoy in an NDC shirt is doctored.
  • Misleading! Vehicle spotted en route to Hohoe Constituency not carrying ballot papers
  • No evidence to support claim that Goasomanhene died consulting a deity for Mahama 
  • Claim NAPO was denied a speaking slot at final NPP rally, false!
  • Did Mahama say rights of gays and lesbians in Ghana must be legalised?
  • False! NPP did not participate in any health walks in Tottenham
  •  A post claiming no Free dialysis at Korle Bu and Bolgatanga Regional Hospital is False
  • Misleading! Dr Bawumia did not donate GH₵1 million to Stephen Adom Kyei-Duah
  •  Martin Amidu did not accuse Mahama of being father of corruption 
  • True. NPP executives distributed money to teachers in Akwatia Constituency!
  • False! The highest inflation rate under Mahama not 15%
  • Yamin attacked by NDC youth in Kumasi, but Kofi Boakye wasn’t there
  • True, military men were in Zabzugu
  • NPP borrowed more than GH¢1 trillion between 2017 and 2024 NOT GH¢622 billion
  • Misleading! There is no resistance to security at the Aflao border 
  • John Dumelo didn’t send SMS calling Maa Lydia a ‘Husband Killer’
  • Video of fight between NDC Eastern Regional executives dates back to 2023.
  • Claims that Mahama sold his Dubai Hotels to former Land and Natural Resources Minister false 

 

CLAIM 1

Headline: The picture of Stonebwoy in an NDC shirt is doctored. 

Claim: A Facebook user, on December 4, 2024, shared an image of renowned Afro dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy, wearing an NDC-branded shirt. 

Source: Facebook 

Verdict: False

Explanation: The picture is doctored. The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition conducted a Google reverse image search and found that the image first appeared online on Feb. 22, 2022. Find other links to the photo posted on Facebook in 2022 here and here. 

A collage of the original picture (on the left) and the doctored picture (on the right.)

The Ghana Fact-checking Coalition found no publication by any major media outlet confirming Stonebwoy’s allegiance to the NDC. However, the artiste’s head of security confirmed the picture as “edited.” 

 

CLAIM 2

Headline: Misleading! Vehicle spotted en route to Hohoe Constituency not carrying ballot papers

Claim: Vehicle en route to the Hohoe Constituency allegedly impounded with fake ballot papers.

Source: Facebook (Archived here).

Verdict: Misleading.

Explanation: Sources from the Ghana Police confirmed that the vehicle in question was transporting Electoral Commission (EC) officials. They clarified that the materials were not ballot papers but directional materials, including unactivated biometric voter devices (BVDs). The EC in a statement has indicated that the officials should have ideally transported the items in official vehicles. The EC says it is investigating the matter. 

The EC statement of December 6, 2024

 

 

CLAIM 3

Headline: No evidence to support claim that Goasomanhene died consulting a deity for Mahama 

Claim: X user @NanaKwame shared a flyer that suggests the Goasomanhene reportedly died while consulting a deity for John Mahama, the 2024 NDC flagbearer, to win the upcoming polls.

Source: X  

Verdict: Insufficient evidence

Explanation: No evidence supports the claim that the Goasomanhene died while consulting a deity. Rumours of the death of the paramount chief of the Goaso Traditional Council, Nana Akwasi Bosompra, are not new. In November 2024, stories about his alleged death were reported online, but he refuted it during an interaction he had with the media. Our sources close to his palace say he has been unwell for a while and is currently responding to medical treatment.

 

CLAIM 4

Headline: Claim NAPO was denied a speaking slot at final NPP rally, false!

Claim:  X user @LongLyf2 claimed that NPP Vice-Presidential candidate Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh was not allowed to speak at the final rally of the party held on December 5.

Source: X. (Archived here).

Verdict: False. 

Verification: Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh was among the speakers who addressed the crowd at the party’s final rally in Accra. He spoke for three minutes after former President Kufuor’s address to the party faithful.

 

CLAIM 5

Headline: Did Mahama say rights of gays and lesbians in Ghana must be legalised?

Claim: A TikTok user has shared a fact card in which ex-President John Mahama reportedly said he would legalise the actions of “gay[s] and lesbian[s].” 

Source: TikTok, Nana Otabil (@nanaotabil1981). (Archived here).

Verdict: False!

Verification: No evidence supports the social media user’s claim. However, Mr Mahama is clear that LGBTQ+ practices are against the beliefs of the country’s religious groups. “I am against LGBTQ. I am a member of the Assemblies of God Church, and my faith is against it,” Mr Mahama said at a meeting with some Zongo chiefs. We found no publication on the claim when we conducted a Google keyword search. 

 

CLAIM 6

Headline: False! NPP did not participate in any health walks in Tottenham

Claim: An X user, 𝑮𝑹𝑬𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑿 (@GrefDuah), shared a video claiming that members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) participated in a health walk in Tottenham, UK.

Source:  𝑮𝑹𝑬𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑿 @GrefDuah –  click here  (Archived here).

Verdict: False

Explanation: We first observed that the background audio of people singing ‘jama’ was superimposed. The Ghana Fact-checking Coalition investigated the video using GeoSpy AI and found the video was shot close to the National Gallery in London and is unrelated to the NPP or Ghana election.

Screenshot of GeoSpy result.

CLAIM 7

Headline: A post claiming no Free dialysis at Korle Bu and Bolgatanga Regional Hospital is False

Claim: Social media user Sneaker Nyame claims that “there is nothing like free dialysis happening.”

Source:  X. (Archived here).

Verdict: False 

Explanation: Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition has confirmed that at least two hospitals, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, are providing free dialysis treatment as announced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). 

The social media user’s claim was a reaction to an earlier post that the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC) did not accept dialysis patients. The free dialysis treatment followed the release of GHS200 million to 20 health facilities in the country. “We started on Tuesday [December 3, 2024],” an official at the Bolgatanga hospital said. 

It is, therefore, not true that free dialysis is not happening anywhere in Ghana.

 

CLAIM 8

Headline: Misleading! Dr Bawumia did not donate GH₵1 million to Stephen Adom Kyei-Duah

Claim: A TikTok video, posted by @adombasikapa, claims Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia donated GH₵ 1 million to the founder of the Philadelphia Church of Ghana, Stephen Adom Kyei-Duah, as an offering to God. The video shows Ashanti Regional NPP Chairperson Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Wontumi, making the donation on behalf of the Vice President.

Verdict: Misleading!

Verification: Research by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition reveals that Dr Bawumia donated GH₵100,000, and not GH₵1 million. An extended version of the video, though also miscaptioned, clearly captures Chairperson Wontumi stating the amount as GH₵100,000.

Additionally, Chairperson Wontumi contributed an extra GH₵50,000 on behalf of Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who is the party’s running mate, as an offering to the church’s leader. 

 

CLAIM 9

Headline:  Martin Amidu did not accuse Mahama of being father of corruption 

Claim 1: An X (formerly Twitter) user claims that Martin Amidu accused John Mahama of being the father of corruption in his new revelation about the Airbus scandal.

Verdict: False

Source: @Samira_Tasha [On X (formerly Twitter)]

Explanation:  In 2020, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, headed by Martin Amidu, released a report on investigations into the Airbus Scandal. It was about the impropriety of Ghana’s acquisition of three military aircraft from Airbus during the Mills-Mahama Administration. In his report, Amidu referred to John Mahama as ‘Government Official One’ and not father of corruption as claimed.

 

CLAIM 10

Headline: True. NPP executives distributed money to teachers in Akwatia Constituency!

Claim: An X user claims teachers in Demkyembour in the Akwatia Constituency were each given GH₵300 to vote for the NPP. 

Source: X (Archived)

Verdict: True

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition’s findings revealed that NPP executives in Denkyembour in the Akwatia Constituency of the Eastern Region gave money to teachers on Monday, December 2, 2024. A teacher confirmed receiving GH₵300 from the NPP executives in the area. “Your school’s name will be mentioned, and teachers present will go and receive the money,” a teacher told the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition.

 

CLAIM 11

Headline: False! The highest inflation rate under Mahama not 15%

Claim: A post by Loud Silence Media, a media outlet owned by Kevin Taylor, has suggested that the highest inflation recorded under former president John Mahama was 15%.

Source: Facebook (via Full Fact AI)

Verdict: False

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition combed through data provided by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) between 2013 and 2016 when NDC flagbearer, John Mahama, was President. Bank of Ghana’s annual inflation figures ranged between 13.5% and 17.7% for the period.

Years  Annual inflation rate
2013 13.5%
2014 17.0%
2015 17.7%
2016 15.4%

 

CLAIM 12

Headline: Yamin attacked by NDC youth in Kumasi, but Kofi Boakye wasn’t there

Source: Website (GhanaWeb)

Claim: NDC security boys attacked Joseph Yamin and ex-police chief Kofi Boakye at a press conference in Kumasi, an Accra-based media outlet alleges. 

Verdict: Misleading!

Explanation: Verification by the Ghana Fact-checking Coalition confirms that some irate youth disrupted a press conference held by the NDC’s National Organiser, Joseph Yamin, on December 6, 2024, in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

However, the Coalition’s checks have revealed that Former Commissioner of Police, Kofi Boakye, was not present at the said press conference, as claimed in a GhanaWeb report. This has been confirmed by several journalists and eyewitnesses who were present at the event. Our checks also reveal that COP Boakye left Kumasi this morning to go to Accra to cast his ballot.

 

CLAIM 13

Headline: True, military men were in Zabzugu

Claim: Military men spotted in Zabzugu 

Source: Facebook, WhatsApp.

Verdict: True

Explanation: Videos making rounds on TikTok, WhatsApp and Facebook suggest that some military personnel had been sighted in Zabzugu in the Northern Region on December 5, 2024. The videos show scores of youth in an outdoor space in the  night talking among themselves. There is also a picture showing some four military men standing idly at a market in the community. here, here and here.

Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition spoke with a Zabzugu-based journalist who confirmed that some military men had indeed arrived in the area but agitated youth forced them to leave the area, insisting that they had no official tasks in the town. 

“The military men came to Zabzugu, and went straight to a hotel instead of a camp, so we suspected they were not there on official duties. Upon enquiry, the youth said they wouldn’t allow them in the town and asked them to leave. They also accompanied them with motorbikes out of Zabzugu,” the journalist told the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition.

 

CLAIM 14

Headline: NPP borrowed more than GH¢1 trillion between 2017 and 2024 NOT GH¢622 billion

Claim: From 2017 to now, Ghana has borrowed over GH¢622 billion with the Bank of Ghana illegally printing GH¢60 billion and leveraging mobile money systems for additional funds.

Source: @scottbolshevik (X). (Archived here).

Verdict: False

Explanation: According to a 2023 report by FactCheck Ghana and Bank of Ghana’s Summary of Economic Financial Data(2024), Ghana’s borrowing figures over the years are as follows:

Year  Borrowed figures(GHS)
2017 142,546,700,000
2018 173,102,200,000
2019 218,228,900,000
2020 291,630,700,000
2021 351,787,000,000
2022 575,000,800,000
2023 610,000,000,000
Total 1,749,294,300,000

From the data above, Ghana has borrowed over GH¢1 trillion between 2017 and 2024, which is more than the GH¢622 billion as claimed. The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition did not find any evidence to support the claim that the Bank of Ghana printed GH¢60 billion cedis illegally.

 

CLAIM 15

Headline: Misleading! There is no resistance to security at the Aflao border 

Claim: X user @StatsGH shared a video alleging people resist security manipulation at the Aflao border. (archived)

Source: @StatsGH ( X, formerly Twitter)

Verdict: Misleading!

Explanation: Checks by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition reveal that while the border is closed, leaving some Ghanaians stranded between the Ghana and Togo borders, there is no evidence of resistance to security manipulation. Although there is a military presence at the border, a journalist stationed at the scene confirms the atmosphere is calm as of 12:20 am on Saturday.

 

CLAIM 16

Headline: John Dumelo didn’t send SMS calling Maa Lydia a ‘Husband Killer’

Claim: X users claim that the NDC Parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Dumelo, called Maa Lydia a husband killer in bulk SMS to constituents. 

Source: X users, @NanaKwame_off, @GrefDuah, and @AmoakoKwam.

Verdict: False 

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition checked with multiple voters in the constituency and they denied receiving a message with such content from John Dumelo.

We subjected the screenshot of the alleged text to Forensically, a digital image forensics tool and it revealed some cloning effect. The noise analysis feature of the tool showed that the name of the sender (JohnDumelo) was superimposed on an existing name. 

We also spoke to Mr Dumelo who denied sending the alleged text message to his constituents describing it as ‘fake news’.

 

CLAIM 17

Headline: Video of fight between NDC Eastern Regional executives dates back to 2023.

Claim: Another NDC fight ongoing. Fight between Bilibo Richard eastern Regional youth organiser and Ahmed Akuapem North Youth Organiser & Ernest Dikoh Akuapem North Constituency Organiser.

Verdict: Misleading

Explanation: A video showing a fight involving some Eastern Regional executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has resurfaced online following an earlier claim that some NDC executives were attacked during a press conference in the Ashanti Region on December 6, 2024. The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition checks reveal that the incident occurred in 2023 during the NDC’s primaries. 

 

CLAIM 18

Headline: Claims that Mahama sold his Dubai Hotels to former Land and Natural Resources Minister false 

Claim: An X user shared flyers with claims that John Mahama sold his Dubai Hotels to Inusah Fuseini in 2021 to fund his campaign.

Source: @Samira_Tasha [On X (formerly Twitter)] 

Verdict: False

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition found no evidence to support the claim. In May 2024, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported that Inusah Fuseini, a former Lands and Natural Resources Minister, owns real estate in Dubai valued at $7,240,400. The report also identified three other politically exposed Ghanaians with properties in Dubai but the list did not include Mr Mahama. The report did not also  indicate that Mr Mahama sold any properties to Inusah Fuseini.

 

This report is part of the work of the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition’s Election 2024 coverage.