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By Nathaniel Nii Amoo Otoo
Claim: Social media users claim Independent Presidential Candidate Nana Kwame Bediako had only one vote from his polling station during the 2024 General Elections.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA got access to the pink sheet at the polling station where he voted, and it was revealed that he had six votes instead.
Full Text
After the 2024 elections, some social media users claimed that the flagbearer of The New Force, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar, received only one vote at the polling station where he cast his ballot alongside his wife.
One Ebenezer Yaw Abban posted, “The polling station that cheddar and his wife voted, after counting cheddar only had one vote…. You go dey trust woman?” Other blogs with wide readership and viewership, like Nkonkonsa.com, also posted the claim. The post has generated 7,744 likes, 222 comments, and 689 shares.
This claim has made many people believe it is true.
Some of the comments from the post are; “Your husband was seen in a video where he voted for No 1, so obviously he didn’t vote for himself, so the one vote is Yours, your vote didn’t go anywhere, our First Lady.” Others also said, “I think Cheddar intentionally didn’t vote for himself. He wanted to see something.. He’s smart, I know.” This claim sparked various controversies on social media.
Furthermore, some bloggers interviewed the wife of Cheddar, questioning her about her thoughts on the issue. In a Facebook video posted by Michael Kafui Sinclear, Ms Bediako stated that the electoral system had failed her since her vote couldn’t be accounted for.
These, amongst many assertions by the general public, drove DUBAWA to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA identified the polling station of the New Force flagbearer, Nana Kwame Bediako, as the School of Journalism, located at the Ringway Campus of the UniMAC Institute of Journalism on 32 Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue in Osu.
Upon verifying proceedings at the polling station, DUBAWA requested and obtained the pink sheet for the location. The document revealed that the New Force flagbearer secured six votes at the polling station, contrary to earlier claims of just one vote.
Conclusion
The claim that Mr Nana Kwame Bediako had won only one vote at the polling station he voted at with his wife and family is untrue. The pink sheet reveals otherwise, hence rendering the statement false.
This report was produced under the DUBAWA “Combating Election Misinformation and Disinformation in Ghana’s 2024 Elections” Project aimed at promoting a culture of truth and verification ahead of the 2024 General Elections with support from the Federal Republic of Germany in Ghana.
