|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: On June 8, 2025, X user and NPP supporter General Buhari made a post, stating President Mahama promised Muslims a 2-day holiday for their Sallah in response to the Ministry of the Interior’s announcement that June 9, 2025, is not a public holiday.
Verdict: False! Mahama’s promise and the subsequent declaration of March 31 and April 1, 2025, as public holidays specifically applied to Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Adha, observed from June 6 to June 10, 2025, was granted only one holiday on June 6.
Full Text
Rumours circulated that Monday, June 9, 2025, would be a holiday following President Mahama’s earlier declaration of a two-day holiday for Eid al-Fitr on March 31 and April 1, 2025. Some Ghanaians assumed a similar extension for Eid al-Adha, prompting the Ministry of Interior to issue a last-minute clarification to prevent people from staying home due to misinformation.
On June 8, 2025, New Patriotic Party’s fierce supporter with the handle @Gen_Buhari_ posted on X, reacting to the Ministry of the Interior (@MinterGh)’s announcement that June 9, 2025, is not a public holiday.
The post, forwarded to his over 29,000 followers, claimed that President John Dramani Mahama had promised Muslims two days of holiday for “their Sallah” (likely referring to Eid al-Adha, given the timing), accusing the government of reneging on this promise for political gain during the 2024 elections.
Moments after, the Interior Ministry wrote: “Please be informed that tomorrow, Monday, June 9, 2025, is not a public holiday. Thank you.”
Gen Buhari countered with “But Mahama promised Muslims a 2-day holiday for their Sallah, so why this sudden change? You lied to the Muslims just for their votes? God will punish you paaaa”
The post garnered significant engagement with almost 10k views, 30 comments, and 84 likes, with replies reflecting polarised opinions.
Also, two accounts tilted towards Buhari’s claim, thus:
On Facebook, after the Ministry of Interior posted on their wall, some people also took to the comment section to vent their spleens:
Saana Mohammed wrote: “Do u need to remind us? U told us that u will be giving us two days ‘ holidays during Eid, and if u cannot go back, then no need to remind us.”
Also, Sulemana Abdul Kadiri replied, “So your Boss deceived us that he would give us two days of holiday for Eid celebrations? Settings and scams!”
Nonetheless, Abdul Razak Issah: “What happened to the promise of 2 days’ holidays for we Muslims? This Eid is the big Eid that even deserves 2 days, not the other one. So we were deceived like that.”
These claims have fuelled discussions on social media about the Islamic religious holidays and political trust in Ghana. With the potential to mislead, DUBAWA had to put the facts first.
Verification
The investigation examined official statements, news reports, and the distinction between Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Key findings include:
- Mahama’s Promise for Eid al-Fitr: On January 10, 2025, during a National Muslim Prayer and Thanksgiving event in Accra, Mahama announced plans to add a second public holiday for Eid al-Fitr in 2025, fulfilling a 2024 campaign promise. He stated, “As part of our promises, we assured the Muslim community that we would add one more holiday to the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.” This was implemented with the Ministry of the Interior declaring March 31 and April 1, 2025, as public holidays for Eid al-Fitr, aligning with its observance on March 30 or 31.
- Eid al-Adha in 2025: Eid al-Adha, commemorating Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice, began on the evening of June 6, 2025, and ended on June 10, depending on moon sightings. The Ministry declared June 6, 2025, as the sole public holiday for Eid al-Adha, consistent with standard practice in Ghana. No official statement or legislative action from Mahama’s administration promised or declared a second holiday for Eid al-Adha in 2025.
- Distinction Between Holidays: Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan (observed in March 2025 with two days), while Eid al-Adha aligns with Hajj (observed on June 6, 2025, with one day). The term “Sallah” can refer to either, but Mahama’s promise and implementation were specific to Eid al-Fitr. The confusion likely arose from this ambiguity.
- No evidence supports @Gen_Buhari_ _’s assertion of a broken promise for this occasion.
Conclusion
The claim that Mahama promised a two-day holiday for Eid al-Adha in 2025 and failed to deliver is false. His promise and the subsequent two-day holiday (March 31 and April 1, 2025) applied to Eid al-Fitr, not Eid al-Adha, which was observed with a single holiday on June 6, 2025.
