Claim: President Mahama did not concede to Nana Addo in 2016
Source: Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (Member of Parliament)
Verdict: False
Researched by Misturat Ali
The Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, claimed that President John Dramani Mahama did not concede in the 2016 election.
“Up until today, John Dramani Mahama never conceded that election. Watch all the videos. In fact, the congratulations he was supposed to give Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, he never did, to the extent that in the early parts, there was an occasion and Nana Addo met him somewhere, and if you saw their interaction, it was not the best… 2016,” he said on January 22, 2026, on Adom FM.
Did President Mahama fail to concede defeat in the 2016 elections? This fact-check will verify the claim.
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Fact-check
To fact-check the claim, GhanaFact relied on reports from credible news platforms.
A tweet from Nana Addo’s X account on December 9, 2016, also shows that he received a call from President Mahama congratulating him on emerging as the winner of the 2016 Presidential Election.
In their respective speeches on the night of December 9, 2016, outgoing John Mahama and president-elect Akufo-Addo confirmed a telephone call where Mahama congratulated the president-elect and promised to oversee a smooth transition.
“Fellow Ghanaians, a few minutes ago, at 7:51 PM precisely, the President of the Republic and the NDC presidential candidate, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, called me on the phone to congratulate me on my victory in the presidential election of 7th December 2016. He wished me the best of luck and God’s blessing…” Akufo-Addo told a teeming crowd at his Nima residence.
Multiple media outlets also reported the fact that Mahama had called to congratulate his opponent. According to a Daily Graphic Online story on 9th December 2016, the outgoing President telephoned the President-elect, to congratulate him on his electoral win and to concede defeat.
“Mr Eugene Arhin, Press Secretary to Nana Addo, who confirmed this to media men in Nana Addo’s residence, said the two men had fruitful discussions on the telephone for about five minutes. President Mahama was said to have pledged to support the New Patriotic Party government. Nana Addo, on his part, was said to be beaming with smiles during the conversation,” the publication said.
Joy FM also posted on December 9th, 2016, on their Facebook account that John Dramani Mahama had conceded defeat and called Nana Akufo-Addo to congratulate him. Ghana Web also confirmed that the two men had spoken following the outcome of the elections.
Verdict
From the above sources, the claim that President Mahama did not concede to Nana Addo after the 2016 elections is False.
