In less than a month, Ghana will head to the polls for the ninth time since 1992 to elect its President and Members of Parliament. Campaigns are getting heated by the day, with some people taking advantage of the season to spread disinformation and fraudulent schemes.
A post circulating on WhatsApp claims that former President John Dramani Mahama is distributing GHS500 in campaign funds to Ghanaians during the Dec. 7, 2024, general elections.
The post is captioned “John Dramani Mahama 500GHS Campaign Funds for Ghanaians,” and instructs potential beneficiaries to click an accompanying link to receive the money. The alleged scheme has been shared widely across multiple WhatsApp groups in Ghana.
A click on the link displays a campaign flyer for John Dramani Mahama with the text, “… John Dramani Mahama is giving out 500 GHS to everyone in Ghana for president of Ghana for the second time.”
The link further directs potential beneficiaries to answer questions, select a “gift box” option, and share the link with five WhatsApp groups or fifteen individual contacts to receive the money.
Screenshots of viral messages shared by some WhatsApp users in group chat
DUBAWA decided to investigate this claim in its efforts to counter misinformation and disinformation and promote responsible media consumption, particularly in this period of elections in Ghana.
Verification
DUBAWA followed the link and each prompt to verify this claim, selecting the first option at each stage. After four question prompts, the fact-checker was asked to choose a “gift box” from multiple options.
The message “better luck next time” appeared on the first attempt, and the fact-checker was informed that there were “two extra chances” to attempt. On the second attempt, the fact-checker was notified of winning GHS500.
However, receiving the prize was contingent upon sharing the link with 5 WhatsApp groups or 15 individual contacts. This raised suspicion, as this tactic is commonly associated with phishing and scam tactics intended to gather information or spread the link widely.
Further, the researcher thoroughly reviewed all official social media accounts associated with John Mahama and his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). No reference to a GHS500 campaign fund scheme could be found on Mahama’s verified social media platforms or on official party pages.
Also, a post on John Dramani Mahama’s verified Facebook page (dated Nov. 10, 2024, and screenshotted four hours later) highlighted a screenshot of the circulating message, marked with a “fake” stamp, alongside a caption, “Fake!!” clearly warning the public that the information was fraudulent.
Screenshot of John Mahama’s disclaimer as posted on Facebook. Image source: Facebook.
Additionally, prominent individuals connected to Mahama, such as his aide Joyce Bawa Mogtari and other NDC party executives, have not shared any information about this purported fund distribution. The lack of any credible source backing the distribution indicates that the link is likely fraudulent.
Under Ghana’s electoral laws, vote-buying is illegal. Distributing money directly to potential voters under the guise of campaign funds would constitute vote-buying, which is punishable under Section 33 (1) of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 (PNDCL 284).
Consequently, it would be highly improbable for a prominent opposition candidate, John Mahama, who has previously held the high office of President of the Republic of Ghana and is deemed to have a fair grasp of election regulations, to conduct such a scheme openly.
On March 22, 2023, Mahama publicly launched a fundraising initiative to garner voluntary financial contributions from supporters to support his ongoing campaign. Thus, it would be inconsistent for Mahama to run a fundraiser for his campaign while offering monetary incentives.
Conclusion
Based on DUBAWA’s findings, the claim that John Dramani Mahama distributes GHS 500 to Ghanaians through a WhatsApp link is false.
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