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Claim: A Presidential candidate in Ghana’s upcoming 2024 election, Alan Kyerematen reportedly said the country belongs to “Christians and Christians must be Presidents.”
Verdict: Misleading. A probe by DUBAWA showed Ghana’s former Trade minister did not make the claim attributed to him. Rather the economist referred to the country as a “predominantly Christian nation” and urged Ghanaians to elect a “Christian leader who is also a Christ-like leader” in Dec. 2024.
FULL TEXT:
One of the leading Presidential candidates in Ghana’s 2024 Presidential election, Alan Joshua Kyerematen, is reported to have said the West African country belongs to “Christians and Christians must be Presidents.”
The claim was contained in a flyer that went viral on social media in the country and purportedly designed by Accra-based XYZ FM.
“Ghana is for Christians and Christians must be Presidents of Ghana,” the leader of the country’s Movement For Change party reportedly said.
DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim as part of its campaign against misinformation and disinformation in Ghana.
Verification:
A probe by DUBAWA showed Ghana’s former Trade minister, Alan Kyerematen did not make the claim attributed to him.
Delivering an Easter message to Ghanaians, the lawyer and economist said:
“So, as a predominantly Christian nation, as Christians, it is our responsibility to ensure that we elect a Christian leader who is also a Christ-like leader.”
See a video clip of the message posted on YouTube by Accra-based Joy FM, starting from minutes 0:35 to 0:50.
A content analysis of the brief speech delivered by the ex-Ghanaian minister revealed he did not make the comment he is alleged to have made.
Responding to an inquiry by DUBAWA, a private legal practitioner and advisor to the Movement For Change, Yaw Buaben Asamoah described the claim as mere “propaganda.”
He said the former Presidential candidate aspirant of Ghana’s governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) would not make such a comment.
DUBAWA contacted Accra-based XYZ TV, the media organisation that purportedly designed the flyer. However, an editor with the organisation, Wisdom Hededzome said the flyer was not designed by them.
Later, DUBAWA reached out to some of the people who shared the flyer on social media to find out where they go it from. They, however, disclosed it was shared in their WhatsApp groups.
A Google keyword search showed none of the reputable media organisations in Ghana published stories about the purported comment.
Conclusion:
It is, therefore, not true that Alan Kyerematen, one of Ghana’s leading Presidential candidates said the country belongs to “Christians and Christians must be Presidents.”
