Election 2024: Fact-checking election-related disinformation content [Day 1]

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition’s work in defending information integrity before, during and after the 2024 general elections officially started on December 4, 2024.

Journalists and personnel of the three coalition partners – Fact-Check Ghana, Dubawa Ghana and GhanaFact – are operating from two Media Situation Rooms (MSR) in Accra and Tamale, working to combat mis and disinformation in the traditional media and on social media platforms.

1. False! Mahama hasn’t won the special voting elections
2. Thumb-cutting incident occurred in Prestea, not politically-motivated
3. False! Booklets found in a vehicle in Ahafo Ano, not ballot papers
4. Misleading! Men in Metro Mass buses at Benchema, not thugs from Burkina Faso 
5. Viral Mahama election rigging audio suspicious

Below is a compilation of claims the team fact-checked on Day 1 of the MSR operations.

CLAIM 1:

Headline: False! Mahama hasn’t won the special voting elections

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Multiple sources on social media have claimed that NDC’s presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, John Mahama, won the Special voting exercise conducted on December 2, 2024. 

Source: Social media 

Verdict: False

Explanation:  The ballots cast during the Special Voting exercise are yet to be counted. The Electoral Commission has explained that the Special Voting ballots will be counted at the various Constituency Collation Centres after the polls close on December 7, 2024.

Also, Regulation 23 of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (C.I. 127) provides that after the Special Voting exercise, the returning officer shall “ensure that the ballot boxes are kept in safe custody after the poll has closed.”

CLAIM 2: 

Headline: Thumb-cutting incident occurred in Prestea, not politically-motivated

An X user, @OfficialBigkay, claims an NDC supporter had cut off the thumb of an NPP member in Bolgatanga. 

Source: X (formerly Twitter)

Verdict: Misleading

Explanation: Our findings reveal that a man’s thumb was cut off following an altercation with another person. However, the incident had nothing to do with the two leading political parties, NDC and NPP. Checks by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition indicate the incident occurred in Prestea in the Prestea-Huni Valley District of the Western region, not in Bolgatanga.

CLAIM 3: NPP rigging syndicate busted again with fake ballot papers and registers (at Ahafo Ano South-East)

Headline: False! Booklets found in a vehicle in Ahafo Ano, not ballot papers

Claim: An  X user, @marcusadampah alleges that the  New Patriotic Party ( NPP) was caught with ballot papers and voter’s register as part of a plot to rig the December 7, 2024, election.

Verdict: False

Explanation: There is no evidence that the booklets in the vehicle seen in the video are ballot papers. However, an analysis of the footage showed printed copies of the voters’ register in the vehicle. The narration accompanying the footage mentioned “voter’s register” and not ballot papers.

Responding to the claim, the Electoral Commission said the ballot papers do not belong to them. Conventionally, the EC makes the register available to the parties before elections. Also, no credible media outlet has reported the alleged claim. The precedent in Ghana is that Electoral officials, political party representatives, and police officers are responsible for transporting ballot papers to the various polling centres. 

CLAIM 4

Headline: Misleading! Men in Metro Mass buses at Benchema, not thugs from Burkina Faso 

Claim: A social media user, @marcusadampah, shared a video showing men in two Metro Mass buses he alleged are “macho men” the NPP brought in from Burkina Faso. 

Source: X (Formerly Twitter) @marcusadampah   (archived)

Verdict: Misleading 

Explanation: Our checks at the Metro Mass Transit Company showed that the two buses moved from Accra to Sefwi Asawinso in the Western North Region, not from Burkina Faso, as alleged. Reacting to the claim, the Police say their preliminary investigation revealed the men were recruited from different parts of Accra to “provide security at polling stations within some constituencies” in the region.  The Member of Parliament from Joaboso, Mintah Akandoh, who spoke to the Coalition, repeated the claim that the men were from Burkina Faso but did not give any further evidence of how he came by that information. 

CLAIM 5

Headline: Viral Mahama election rigging audio suspicious

Claim: An X user, @edemgilbert, has shared an audio in which he accuses John Mahama, the 2024 NDC flagbearer, of plotting with Electoral Commission officials to rig the election in the Ashanti region. 

Source: Dr. Gilbert Edem 

Verdict: False

Explanation: There is no evidence that the voices in the audio are those of John Mahama and an Electoral Commission official in the Ashanti Region. A content analysis conducted on the audio revealed some discrepancies. 

In the audio, the alleged EC official was asked if he was the “Leading Returning Officer,” he responded that he was the group leader. 

The Electoral Commission’s organisational structure does not have a role called Leading Returning Officer. Regulation 2 of the Public Elections Regulation, 2020 (C.I. 127) provides that the Commission shall appoint Returning Officers in the various constituencies for Parliamentary elections. 

Also, in the audio, the alleged EC officer was asked if he had initiated the plan, and he responded “We are done with nine, and we are left with seven.” 

It is worth noting that the Ashanti Region has 48 constituencies, not 16. Therefore, the region has 48 Returning officers. There is no evidence to support the allegations. 

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