President John Dramani Mahama has accused the Jubilee House, seat of government of being the source of fake news manufactured to undermine him and others.
Addressing a mini rally at Akyem Akroso, Mahama claimed that many false stories circulating about him originate from the seat of government, allegedly aimed at distorting facts and misrepresenting his statements.
The remarks by John Mahama come in the wake of complain by the Chief of Akyem Akroso, Nana Kwabena Ofori, who stated that his comments during a visit by NPP flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia were twisted to imply he had endorsed Dr. Bawumia.
The chief later issued a disclaimer, clarifying that he did not endorse the NPP candidate and expressed his belief that John Mahama is the best choice to lead Ghana to prosperity.
Mahama, in solidarity with the chief’s concern, emphasized that such tactics of twisting narratives and spreading fake news from the Flagstaff House are detrimental to Ghana’s democratic values and urged for integrity in political discourse.
“Nana in your speech, you cautioned journalists against twisting your statements.Nana it is not journalists who have been doing that ,it is people in the Jubilee house . Flagstaff house is where they churn out fake news . It is not right .Nana ,they have done it to me and many others. So I stand here to say that all te fake news we see on social media are from Flagstaff house” Mahama said
In contrast the Ministry of Information Ghana ,and also the Ghana Commission for UNESCO have launched a social media campaign aimed at tackling the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation ahead of the December 7 election.
Misinformation and disinformation have become global challenges with far-reaching consequences for democracies,peace and security.