General News of Wednesday, 6 March 2024
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
Claim - NDC NEC endorses Prof Naana Jane as running mate
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) on March 4, 2024, carried a story on the choice of running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama.
The story, authored by Christopher Arko had a lede that read as follows: "The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has unanimously endorsed the nomination of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as Running Mate to John Dramani Mahama."
In the second paragraph, the writer claimed that the flagbearer had since reacted to the development via a post on Twitter (now X).
Mr Mahama, in a tweet shortly after the endorsement, said, “Naana Jane is God-fearing, a distinguished scholar, a conscientious public servant and a role model,” the story added.
Checks
GhanaWeb Fact-check desk could not find any recent tweet on Mahama's X handle relative to his choice of running mate for the 2024 race.
His only tweet in March 2024 at the time of filing this report was related to an engagement he had in Nigeria.
Curiously, however, a deep search of the exact quotes attributed to Mahama in the GNA report showed that he had indeed tweeted about Prof Naana Jane's qualities as a running mate but that was as far back as June 2020.
His full tweet in 2020 read: "@OfficialNDCGh, this afternoon, unanimously, endorsed my nomination of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as my Running Mate for the December 2020 election. She is God-fearing, a distinguished scholar, a conscientious public servant & a role model."
Also checks with some insiders in the party indicated that the party will go by its March 7 timeline for the announcement of a running mate as communicated late last month in a statement issued by General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey.
GhanaWeb sources have, however, confirmed that the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast will be announced as the running mate for the upcoming polls.
Verdict - GNA's story is false
See Mahama's 2020 tweet below:
The @OfficialNDCGh, this afternoon, unanimously, endorsed my nomination of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as my Running Mate for the December 2020 election. She is God-fearing, a distinguished scholar, a conscientious public servant & a role model. pic.twitter.com/02qRJQChJd
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) July 6, 2020