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Claim: A purported New Patriotic Party (NPP) press statement circulating on social media claims the party has distanced itself from comments made by its 2024 flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on a newly passed bill, insisting his remarks were merely his personal views and not the official position of the party.
Verdict: False! The alleged press release is fabricated. DUBAWA found no evidence that the New Patriotic Party issued such a statement. The document contains several red flags, including the absence of a publication date, an irregular signature, no record on the party’s official communication channels, and AI analysis indicating a 96% probability that the image was generated by AI.
Full Text
A purported press statement bearing the logo and letterhead of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been circulating widely on Facebook, claiming the party had publicly distanced itself from comments made by its flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, regarding a newly passed bill by Parliament.
The viral post surfaced after Parliament approved the Public Tribunal Bill, 2026, despite opposition from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and a boycott by the Minority.
Meanwhile, the Facebook post, titled “NPP Distances Itself From Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s Comments on the Newly Passed Bill,” surfaced shortly after, stating that the former Vice President’s comments represented only his personal views and not the official position of the party.
The statement was shared on July 20, 2026, by the Facebook account Ghana Daakye, accompanied by the caption: “ARE WE REALLY READY FOR POWER?”
Despite having fewer than 400 followers, the page generated significant engagement after posting the image in the “NPP Official” Facebook group, which has over 156,400 members.
At the time DUBAWA checked, the post had attracted 556 reactions, 287 comments, and 65 shares. Meanwhile, the post also spread to other users through reposts and screenshots, with commenters expressing mixed reactions. While some questioned the document’s authenticity, others believed it reflected internal divisions within the opposition party.
Given the political significance of such a statement, DUBAWA investigated whether the NPP had indeed issued the release.
Verification
No trace on official NPP communication channels
DUBAWA reviewed the New Patriotic Party’s official communication platforms, including its website and verified social media accounts.
No such press release was found.
Neither the party’s website nor its official Facebook and X pages carried any statement distancing the party from Dr Bawumia’s comments.
Official statements from the NPP are routinely published on these platforms, particularly when they concern the party’s flagbearer or national political developments.
No credible media organisation reported it
A statement of this nature would ordinarily attract immediate media attention because it suggests a public disagreement between the party leadership and its presidential candidate.
However, searches across major Ghanaian news organisations found no reports indicating that the NPP had issued such a statement.
No credible media house published or referenced the alleged release.
The complete absence of independent reporting further weakens the credibility of the circulating document.
The document lacks a publication date
One of the first anomalies identified by DUBAWA is that the purported statement lacks a publication date.
Official NPP press releases consistently include the date of issuance, making the omission highly unusual for a document addressing a matter of national political importance.
Although the document carries a reference number, this alone does not substitute for the missing publication date.
The signature appears inconsistent
The statement bears what purports to be the signature of Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP’s General Secretary.
However, a comparison with signatures appearing on previous authentic NPP statements reveals noticeable inconsistencies.
The signature on the circulating document appears distorted and lacks the consistent characteristics found in verified communications signed by Mr Frimpong.
This raises further doubts about the document’s authenticity.
AI detection raises additional concerns
DUBAWA analyzed the image using DeepAI’s AI image detection tool.
The analysis returned a 96% confidence score, indicating that the image was AI-generated or artificially manipulated.
While AI detection tools are not conclusive proof on their own, the result complements the other indicators, suggesting the document was fabricated.
Evidence suggests the post originated from a single source
DUBAWA found that the alleged statement appears to have originated from the Facebook account Ghana Daakye.
Beyond screenshots and reposts by other users, there is no evidence that the statement was independently published elsewhere before appearing on that page.
Its exclusivity to the account before wider circulation strongly suggests that the page was the original source of the fabricated document.
Conclusion
The purported NPP press statement distancing the party from Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s comments is false.
