21% of election disinformation targeted Prez Mahama, 5.7% aimed at Bawumia – New Report Reveals

A new report by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition has revealed that 21.1% of election-related disinformation targeted President John Dramani Mahama. In comparison, 5.7% was aimed at former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Titled Countering Electoral Disinformation: Lessons from Ghana’s 2024 Elections, the report was officially launched on 30 January 2025 by Kweku Krobea Asante, Coordinator for the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition.

The findings highlight the persistent spread of false information during Ghana’s 2024 presidential election, with disinformation aimed at prominent political figures, political parties, and state institutions. The report notes that 28.5% of disinformation claims were directed at the New Patriotic Party (NPP), while 24.4% targeted the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Misinformation also affected institutions such as the Electoral Commission, which faced 17.9% of false claims, while its Chairperson was the subject of 0.08%. Running mates of both leading parties were also targets, although to a lesser extent.

The coalition attributed much of this disinformation to politically aligned social media accounts. Pro-NPP accounts were responsible for 22 claims, while pro-NDC accounts generated 15. Non-aligned media sources accounted for 17 claims combined.

On 6 December, just a day before the elections, a coordinated social media campaign spread harmful disinformation against President Mahama using hashtags such as #IncompetentMahama and #FailedMahama. The same network promoted hashtags like #BawumiaForPresident and #1TouchForBawumia.

The coalition took proactive measures to combat this disinformation by publishing cautionary flyers to alert the public about key perpetrators.

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition is a partnership between fact-checking organisations, civil society groups, and the media aimed at combating election disinformation and fostering accurate information sharing before, during, and after Ghana’s 2024 elections. Its core members include GhanaFact (FactSpace West Africa), Fact-Check Ghana (Media Foundation for West Africa), and DUBAWA Ghana (Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development), all of which are affiliates of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).

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