False! President Mahama has not commented about Islamic marriages, circulating flyer is Fake

Claim: Flyer suggests President Mahama has made comments about Islamic marriage

Source: Social Media, Facebook

Verdict: Fake

Researched by Nusrat Essah

A supposed JoyNews flyer shared by a Facebook user on November 10, 2025, suggested that President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the cancellation of ‘leyfey,’ a traditional gift for brides in some Islamic marriages.

The flyer in circulation, with the logo and design of JoyNews and dated November 9, 2025, attributed a quote: “With regards to Muslim marriages, ‘Leyfey’ shall be cancelled but ‘Sadaaki’ should be ‘Appreciable’ in order to ease marriage for young ones,” to President Mahama.

GhanaFact was mentioned under the post by a Facebook user who asked that we investigate the flyer.

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‘Sadaaki’ is a Hausa word which refers to the dowry given by the groom to the bride, as a prerequisite of any Islamic marriage. While leyfey is a traditional requirement, sadaaki is a religious obligation in contracting any marriage.

This report seeks to verify: 

1. The authenticity of this flyer
2. Whether President Mahama has made such a statement

Fact-Check

To verify this claim, GhanaFact reviewed JoyNews’ official social media accounts (X and Facebook) and found no evidence of the media organisation publishing such a flyer. There was no flyer concerning President Mahama’s purported statement on Islamic marriages, published on the date indicated on the flyer, or any other date. 

This shows that the flyer was altered and falsely attributed to JoyNews.

Has Mahama commented about Muslim marriages?

GhanaFact reviewed the website and social media platforms of the Presidency, public statements and media reports about President Mahama’s recent engagements, and found no record of him making any statement about cancelling “Leyfey” or advocating for young people seeking to get married.

Therefore, the claim that President Mahama advocated for the cancellation of ‘leyfey’ is false, and JoyNews has not shared any flyer of that sort.

Verdict

The claim is false, and the flyer is fake.