Election 2024: Fact-checking election-related disinformation content [Day 5]

Below are claims worked on by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition on December 8, which is Day 5 of our operations.

Topics below:

• True, Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse looted moments after Bawumia concedes defeat – plus video and photo reports
• True, Bawumia recorded zero votes at some polling stations in Bawku. 
• No evidence of Russian interference in Ghana’s election
• Claim NDC has never won a parliamentary seat in the Sekondi constituency false. 
• False, Miracles Aboagye has not said NPP’s collation system has crashed
• Did the incumbent MP refuse to sign the  final result?
• False! President Akufo-Addo’s statue has not been torn down
• False! Dumelo did not win Ayawaso West Wuogon seat with over 20,000- votes gap
• Fake! Ursula Owusu’s account did not warn X followers against trolling her 
• False! Jean Mensah is not the first to declare election results in 48 hours
• True, NDC has pledged to prosecute BoG Governor over economic mismanagement
• Viral photo of Kennedy Agyapong in NDC paraphernalia old
• True! Damongo EC District Office set on fire amid exchange of gunshots 

 

CLAIM 1

True, Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse looted moments after Bawumia concedes defeat

Claim: Police look on helplessly as hundreds of looters steal from the Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse

Source: Social media videos

Verdict: TRUE

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition can confirm there is ongoing looting of a variety of items at the Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse. These include motorbikes, tricycles, sacks of rice, fertilizers, cereals, trucks and chairs. The State-owned Ghana Television has carried live footage of the unfolding development when their correspondent Murtala Kpambe reported from the scene of the incident. Other footages from the scene are being circulated on social media here and here.

The incident happened moments after Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia conceded the 2024 elections to John Dramani Mahama. Hundred of people in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region thronged the streets in jubilation which soon morphed into the looting of the Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse. The Ghana Police Service arrived promptly to the scene but faced resistance from the looters, with the hundreds of marauders pelting them with stones. The military has since been invited to restore law and order.

Watch our video report below:

View some photos below:

 

CLAIM 2

Headline: True, Bawumia recorded zero votes at some polling stations in Bawku. 

Claim 2: Two social media users (here and  here) claim the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, recorded zero votes in some polling stations in Bawku. 

Verdict: True

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition’s checks at various polling stations in Bawku revealed that Dr. Bawumia received zero votes in several polling stations within Kusasi-dominated communities.  Sources attribute it to a longstanding feud between the Kusasis and the Mamprusis, which reportedly led to chiefs in the Kusasi areas instructing their subjects not to vote for Dr. Bawumia, who is of Mamprusi descent. Additionally, before the elections, the NPP was banned from campaigning in the Kusaug Traditional Area. 

Below are the results from some of the polling stations sent in by some correspondents:

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Nyorugu	0
John Dramani Mahama		464

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Kpalugu  Checkpoint	0
John Dramani Mahama		450

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Kpalugu Primary School	0
John Dramani Mahama		395

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Aviondago	0
John Dramani Mahama		270

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Nayoko No.2	0
John Dramani Mahama		345

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Nayoko No.1 JHS	0
John Dramani Mahama		419

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Narangzua primary	0
John Dramani Mahama		286

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Old Education	0
John Dramani Mahama		385

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Sabungari	0
John Dramani Mahama		1002

 

Name of candidate	Polling station	Result
Mahamadu Bawumia	Pentecost church	0
John Dramani Mahama		482

 

CLAIM 3

Claim NDC has never won a parliamentary seat in the Sekondi constituency false. 

Claim: An X user, @fentuo,_ has claimed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has never won the parliamentary seat for the Sekondi Constituency.

Source: X. Archived here.

Verdict: False 

Explanation: This claim was on the back of the NDC winning the 2024 Sekondi parliamentary seat. However, a quick Google search reveals that Albert Bosomtwi-Sam of the NDC  was elected member of parliament for the Sekondi Constituency in 1992. News articles here and here show that Mr Bosomtwi-Sam was indeed MP for the area.

 

CLAIM 4

Headline: No evidence of Russian interference in Ghana’s election

Claim: A post in a pro-NPP Facebook group, “NPP Official’s Ashley Anston,” suggests that Russia might have interfered in Ghana’s election. The post states: “Russia interfered in the 2016 & 2024 elections in mighty United States sabotaging Hillary Clinton & Kamala Harris respectively thru misinformation. Is Ghana a victim?”

Source: Facebook

Verdict: False

 

Source: Public Facebook group – NPP Official’s Ashley Anston archived here

Explanation: No credible evidence exists to substantiate the claim. Misinformation campaigns like those attributed to Russia in other nations are often highly visible and well-documented. In Ghana’s case, the Coalition of Fact-Checkers has actively monitored social media platforms during the election period and debunked several instances of misinformation. However, there has been no credible report or evidence linking Russian interference to Ghana’s electoral process.

 

CLAIM 5

Headline: False, Miracles Aboagye has not said NPP’s collation system has crashed

Claim: A flyer with TV3 logo is reporting the Director of Communication for NPP’s presidential campaign team, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, as saying, “Our collation system crashed; that is why we haven’t released our data yet.”

Source: WhatsApp/ Image

Verdict: False

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition reviewed the flyer and found that it is fake. TV3 has not shared any such visual card on any of their official platforms, and no credible media outlet has reported on the alleged comment. Miracles Aboagye per our checks has not granted any interview to TV3 since his last late night press conference on December 7, 2024. Elections Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Evans Nimako, has also confirmed to the media that no collation system of the party has crashed. Therefore the flyer is fake.

 

CLAIM 6

Headline: Did the incumbent MP refuse to sign the  final result?

Claim: Incumbent MP for Obuasi East, Dr Patrick Boakye-Yiadom, refused to sign the final result to enable the EC to declare the NDC Parliamentary candidate as the winner.

Source: WhatsApp, Facebook Archived here

Verdict: True

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-checking Coalition spoke with an NDC General Secretary in Obusai who confirmed that the incumbent, Dr. Patrick Boakye Yiadom had initially refused to sign the final results of the elections, preventing the EC from declaring the result. However, the NDC secretary says the incumbent MP has finally signed the result, and the EC has declared Samuel Aboagye as the Parliament-elect of Obuasi East. The Coalition also received videos that show the EC declaring Samuel Aboagye as the Member of Parliament-elect for Obuasi East.

 

CLAIM 7

Headline: False! President Akufo-Addo’s statue has not been torn down

Claim: A Facebook user, Francis Kennedy Ocloo, shared a picture of President Akufo-Addo’s statue at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi and another statue that has been toppled, claiming that the torn down statue was President Akufo-Addo’s statue.

Source: Click here. 

Verdict: False

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition using Google reverse image search found that the image is that of Confederate General, William Carter Wickham, an American politician in the 1800s. His statue was toppled during the Black Lives Matter protests that rocked the United States in 2020. The Coalition also confirmed that the president’s statue is still standing in Sekondi. The claim is therefore false.

 

CLAIM 8

Headline: False! Dumelo did not win Ayawaso West Wuogon seat with over 20,000- votes gap

Claim: John Dumelo defeated incumbent MP Lydia Alhassan with over 20,000 votes

Source:  X user, eddie_wrt (archive) 

Verdict: False

Explanation: According to the pink sheet signed by the candidates’ agents and the returning office for the constituency, the National Democratic Congress candidate, John Dumelo, garnered 40,561 votes, while the incumbent MP, Lydia Alhassan, polled 27,377 votes. These figures on the pink sheet are confirmed in a video of the returning officer making the declaration. Thus, the winning margin is 13,184 votes and not 20,000 votes. 

A photo of the pink sheet for the parliamentary election at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency

 

CLAIM 9

Headline: Fake! Ursula Owusu’s account did not warn X followers against trolling her 

Claim: A viral tweet allegedly from Ursula Owusu-Ekuful warns followers she will not tolerate disrespect after her loss in the Ablekuma West Constituency parliamentary elections. 

Source: X (Archived here)

Verdict: False! 

Explanation: The X (formerly Twitter) account that made the viral tweet is not the official X account of Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Communication and Digitalization Minister and Ablekuma West MP. Her official account on X is @UrsulaOw NOT @UrsulaOwusu_. In the bio for @UrsulaOwusu_, it is stated that the account is a parody. 

 

CLAIM 10

Headline: Looters invade Tamale Agric Warehouse, cart away supplies 

Claim: True! Looters steal from the Tamale Agric warehouse

Source: GTV (YouTube)

Verdict: TRUE

Explanation: The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition can confirm that looters invaded and carted away bags of rice, boxes of oil, tin tomatoes, and other supplies from the Tamale Agric Warehouse on December 8, 2024. The coalition’s reporters on the ground also confirmed that police had arrested about ten people in connection with the incident. 

State-owned Ghana Television shared live footage of the incident with their regional correspondent, Murtala Kpambe reporting from the scene. In an earlier case of looting, police looked on helplessly as hundreds of looters stole from the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly warehouse and the adjoining Public Works Department premises.

Hundreds of people in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, thronged the streets in jubilation, which soon morphed into looting.

 

CLAIM 11

Headline: False! Jean Mensah is not the first to declare election results in 48 hours. 

Claim: The Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson, Jean Mensa, has stated that the EC under her leadership had declared presidential elections within 48 hours declaring that it was a record under the Fourth Republic. 

Source: Live TV

Verdict: False 

“By convention, we have been able to declare results within 72 hours after the polls. The Commission, however, broke that record in 2020 and was able to declare the results in 48 hours,” Jean Mensa, the EC Chairperson said at a press briefing on December 8, 2024. 

Explanation: Former Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, declared the results of the 2016 general elections on December 09, 2024. 2016. This was within the 48 to 72 hours deadline the Commission gave itself to declare the results of the December 7, 2016 election. 

During the 2020 polls, the EC headed by Jean Mensah declared the final results of the election on December 09, 2024. There is, therefore, no record broken in 2020 since the chairperson in 2020 also declared the results of the elections within 48 hours. 

 

 

CLAIM 12

Headline: True, NDC has pledged to prosecute BoG Governor over economic mismanagement

Claim: NDC has communicated its intent to prosecute the current Bank of Ghana Governor for illegal actions and economic mismanagement. They have also pledged an overhaul of BoG and intend to reinstate the revoked licenses of some banks.

Source: @CediRates (archive)

Verdict: True

Explanation: The National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, in an interview on Onua TV on August 9, 2023 said that the Governor of the Central bank, Ernest Addison, and members of the Bank’s board will face prosecution for decisions which led to the bank incurring a GHC 60bn loss. 

“Ernest Addison is jail bound. He is destined for jail. There is no way Addison will not be prosecuted, there is no way,”  he declared in the interview (between minutes 0:00 – 4:40).

In the 2024 NDC Manifesto (page 23 and 24), the party said it was going to “restore the licenses of wrongfully collapsed financial institutions” as well as “restructure the Bank of Ghana to strengthen its independence and operational efficiency to deliver its price and financial stability mandate.”

 

CLAIM 13

Headline: Viral photo of Kennedy Agyapong in NDC paraphernalia old

Claim: 

Source: Social media

Verdict: False

Explanation: A photo of Kennedy Agyapong clad in NDC paraphernalia and celebrating with NDC supporters is circulating on social media, suggesting that he has switched allegiance after the 2024 elections. However, verification by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition confirms that Kennedy Agyapong has not switched sides. The photo dates back to 2016. According to a GhanaWeb report from that year, the NPP frontrunner attended an NPP event at the same location as Sam George’s campaign launch and took the photo as a gesture of unity ahead of the 2016 elections.

 

CALIM 14

Headline: True! Damongo EC District Office set on fire amid exchange of gunshots 

Claim: Disturbances in Damongo lead to the torching of the Electoral Commission District Office. 

Source: Social media posts (here and here)

Verdict: True

Explanation: A source on the ground confirmed to the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition’s Tamale Media Situation Room that the district EC office in Damongo has been set ablaze. The coalition also monitored a live report by TV3 of the incident. Their reporter in the Savannah Region stated: 

“They broke into the collation center, destroyed most of the things in the collation center, and started throwing stones and any object they could lay their hands on. Everyone in the collation center ran for their lives. From there they moved to the District EC office where they are supposed to send everything after collation and they went to set the place ablaze. As we speak now, there’s some gunshots between some residents and supporters,” Nadra Mohammed said. 

Preceding this incident, media reports yesterday indicated that the collation center in the area had been vandalised by youth over a disagreement on the declaration of results.