Former President John Dramani Mahama has vehemently denied that he attacked Asantes during his recent campaign in the Eastern Region.
It was reported in some media circles that the former President, made some disparaging comments about the people in the Ashanti Region.
Mahama is alleged to have advised residents in the Eastern Region not to learn from their counterparts in the Ashanti Region, who are emotionally attached to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and do not think before voting for the elephant-symbol party.
However, rubbishing this claim in a statement on April 14, the spokesperson for John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari asserted, “The said publication, which has been sourced to UTV, an Accra-based television station is false. President Mahama has not made any such statement, either on his campaign rounds or to UTV.”
Madam Bawah Mogtari underscored, that the former President is focused on his campaign.
“We believe this is yet another disinformation campaign to cause disaffection for Mr. John Mahama, and demand a retraction and apology from UTV. Mr. Mahama remains focused on his ‘Building the Ghana we want Together’ campaign and will not be distracted by such dirty propaganda.”
Bawah Mogtari
UTV Issues Disclaimer Over Fake John Mahama Quote Circulated By NPP Activists
Management of Accra-based UTV, a subsidiary of the Despite Media Group, issued a disclaimer on a purported artwork they allegedly issued over ethnocentric comments, attributed to former president John Dramani Mahama.
On Friday (April 14), on the Mpu Ne Mpu programme, host of the show issued a categorical disclaimer of the fake artwork, in which Mahama is allegedly addressing delegates in the Eastern Region to reject the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“Owners of our station are responsible and have toiled to make it, so there are somethings we don’t do. It has come to light that some people are using UTV’s name and logo on purported comments by former president John Dramani Mahama, that we were the authors of that statement.
“I stand on behalf of our owners …and management to state that as UTV, what is said, was not authored by us. It is some unscrupulous people who manufactured it and put the UTV logo on it to make it look as though it was by us. This is to state officially that UTV knows nothing about this. Our logo was misused in the context. It is people whose thinking I do not know of.”
UTV Host
Some known New Patriotic Party (NPP) activists including a presidential staffer, Nana Hesse Ogyiri, shared the artwork of the purported quote, in which the former president “speaks” against the Ashanti Region. “Don’t be like Ashanti Region. They are emotionally attached to the NPP that they don’t even think before voting for them. Your party and your son has led Ghana into a ditch, be bold to vote against them. Be different. Come back to the NDC in 2024 and we wont neglect you this time,” the comment read.
A search on UTV’s social media feeds at the time of the publication, showed that a similar artwork was posted on April 11, 2023, except that the accompanying text has nothing to do with the Ashanti Region or the NPP.
The original quote reads: “By God’s grace we have the experience, we didn’t buy it in the store, we didn’t learn it in school, it is God who gave us the opportunity to gather that experience. Don’t worry about what some people are saying, it is God’s will, I attend church and when I pray, God speaks to me. And God has said this is the time for NDC, he has given us power. If God decides, no one can change it.”
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