President Nana Akufo-Addo has pleaded with Ghanaians to end the habit of spreading fake news. The President further bemoaned about the consistent waging of fake news around his persona and accused his opponents of using the tactics to score political points.
In his address at the Ghana Report Summit themed ‘Dealing with Misinformation and Disinformation in the Upcoming Election’, Pres Akufo-Addo mentioned some instances where he was a victim of fake news.
He stated that in the run-up to the 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, he had to endure the damage of false news.
“I was a target of numerous false and malicious stories attacking my credibility and integrity. In 2008, baseless allegations of drug trafficking were spread, along with numerous rumors about my health intended to cast doubt on my ability to serve as President,” he recounted.
President Akufo-Addo revealed that previous rumor of him killing his wife Eleanor Akufo-Addo is palpable falsehood.
“Again, the 2012 election saw false reports of my alleged arrest in London for drug possession and fabricated quotes designed to stir ethnic tension. In 2016, it was alleged by sympathizers of the opposition that I had killed my late wife,” he said.
He was of the opinion that the spreading of false news could be a recipe violence especially during this election period.
He also indicated that the ‘Agyapadie book’ is fake and described it as a creation of his political opponents (see story). “Today, with a few months to the 2024 elections, they are at it again. The fabricated document entitled ‘Agyapadie’ is being spread around by operatives of the opposition as evidence of a grand scheme by my party to annex the assets of the state,” he noted.