Claim: A viral flyer claims Ghana’s ex-President John Mahama has said that it is typical of the Akan ethnic group to “answer questions with questions” in his response to some questions Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia posed.
Verdict: DUBAWA’s checks showed the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s 2024 Presidential candidate, John Mahama, did not make the alleged claim. Reacting to this on X, Beatrice Annan, Mahama’s Deputy Spokesperson, labelled the claim “fake news.” Also, Tamale-based Radio Tamale, the flyer’s alleged originator, has disclaimed it.
Full Text
A viral flyer claims Ghana’s ex-President John Mahama has said that it is typical of people from the Akan ethnic group to “answer questions with questions” in his response to some questions Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia posed.
While on a campaign trail, the ex-Ghanaian leader posed five questions to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s 2024 Presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
However, Ghana’s Vice President, Dr Bawumia, replied with 50 questions for Mr Mahama, including what his government did to promote the country’s creative arts and tourism.
Less than 24 hours after the exchanges between the two political leaders, a viral flyer making the rounds on WhatsApp in the country alleged that Mr Mahama had described Dr Bawumia’s attitude as typical of the Akan group who “answer questions with questions.”
“It is typical of Akans to answer Questions with Questions. The Bawumia I know is a Northern, so why is he behaving like a villager?” the ex-Ghanaian leader reportedly quizzed.
The viral flyer featured the logo of the Tamale-based media outlet Radio Tamale, which purportedly created it.
The Akan are Ghana’s largest ethnic group. They inhabit the Ashanti, Eastern, Central, and parts of the country’s Western Region. The Akan language has several variations, including Asante Twi, Akyem, and Fante.
DUBAWA decided to probe the claim as part of its campaign against misinformation and disinformation in West African countries.
Verification
DUBAWA’s investigations showed that John Mahama, the 2024 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), did not make the alleged claim.
Reacting to this on X (formerly Twitter), Mahama’s Deputy Spokesperson Beatrice Annan labelled the claim “fake news.”
“John Mahama never uttered these words. Disregard the fake news with the utmost contempt it deserves,” the private legal practitioner wrote on Oct. 31, 2024.
Also, Tamale-based media outlet Radio Tamale, the flyer’s alleged originator, has disclaimed it.
Speaking to DUBAWA on the subject matter, Robicon Mornahson, an editor with the media outlet, said, “It (the flyer) is not coming from us.”
“We have released a disclaimer on that because it is not coming from us. We did not create that flyer,” the editor with Radio Tamale said.
The results of DUBAWA’s Google keyword search revealed that no reputable media outlet in the West African country has published reports on the allegation.
Given the interest generated by the exchanges between the leaders of Ghana’s two predominant political parties in the media, including social media, a claim allegedly made by Mr Mahama would have attracted attention.
However, as of Nov. 1, 2024, no data online supports the claim that the ex-Ghanaian leader has described the Akan as a group of people who “answer questions with questions.”
DUBAWA later contacted some social media users who shared the flyer to find out their source, but they have yet to respond to the inquiry.
Conclusion
John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 presidential candidate, did not say that it is typical of the Akan ethnic group to “answer questions with questions.”
